Ex-pharmacy trainee admits to conspiring to take pills from veterans hospital in Little Rock

A former pharmacy technician trainee accused of conspiring with two other employees to siphon pills from the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court.

In U.S. District Judge J. Leon Holmes' courtroom, 43-year-old Nikita Neal of Little Rock admitted to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Her crime involved 2,000 30-milligram tablets, prosecutors said. Two other charges against her were dropped under the plea agreement negotiated by defense attorney Bill James and Assistant U.S. Attorney Hunter Bridges.

Between April 13, 2016, and July 21, 2016, Neal was a student trainee at the hospital while Satishkumar "Steve" Patel worked as an inventory specialist technician and Alisha Pagan was a pharmacy technician.

Bridges told the court that Patel, who maintained the pharmaceutical inventory, used his position to order various drugs from McKesson Corp., a pharmaceutical distributor.

Those orders included 14,000 Viagra and Cialis pills, both erectile dysfunction products; 1,500 hydrocodone pills; 4,000 oxycodone pills; and promethazine codeine syrup, all totaling about $75,000, Bridges said.

Patel would then place the drugs in a tote bag and drop them off at a prearranged spot, Bridges said. Patel and Pagan falsified invoices so it appeared that he ordered non-narcotics, according to the indictment.

Pagan would pick up the pills and pass them to Neal, who distributed the drugs to street level drug dealers, Bridges said.

On July 20, 2016, federal investigators said they observed the scheme in action and found Neal with 100 30-milligram oxycodone pills in her possession, plus 900 placebos.

After Bridges summarized the claims against her, Neal recounted them to the judge.

"I received drugs from Alisha Pagan, and that's what makes me guilty," Neal said.

She faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $1 million. Neal also will have to pay $22,000 in restitution to the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.

Holmes explained to Neal that her sentence will be decided after a report is completed that reviews her history and any unique circumstances regarding the case.

The court is not required to follow federal sentencing guidelines, he added.

After Neal entered her plea, Holmes said people who commit this type of offense are typically held in custody to await sentencing.

James told the court that his client is a mother of two children and does not have anyone to watch them at this time.

"A lot of defendants have children," Holmes said. He allowed Neal to leave because Bridges did not object, he said.

In September, Patel, 45, of North Little Rock pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 4,000 30-milligram oxycodone tablets. Six other charges against him were dropped as part of the agreement.

He faces the same maximum sentence and fine as Neal and owes $77,722.59 to the health care system, under his plea agreement.

Pagan, 34, of Mabelvale pleaded guilty in August to the same charge as Patel and Neal, though her conduct involved 1,000 of the 30-milligram oxycodone tablets, according to the agreement. She's required to pay $22,000 in restitution.

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Metro on 10/27/2017

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