PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man was sentenced to federal prison today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone fraudulently obtained from local pharmacies.
Chase Adam Conway, 36, was sentenced to four years in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, in June 2018, agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating Conway. They learned that Conway, who had a long history of committing drug frauds, was enlisting female runners to fraudulently obtain oxycodone from pharmacies in the Portland area. Conway would deliberately seek out runners who were heavily addicted to oxycodone and willing to risk criminal liability in exchange for a portion of the prescriptions filled or a small amount of cash.
Conway obtained medical prescription paper and used a home printer to place the names and DEA registration numbers of real doctors on the prescriptions. He would then provide his co-conspirators with fraudulent identification to use in conjunction with the fake prescriptions at various pharmacies. After obtaining the oxycodone pills, Conway redistributed to them for profit to large quantity vendors and street customers.
In the fall of 2018, agents tracked Conway’s car and obtained evidence from several pharmacies where he and his accomplices filled prescriptions. In February 2019, agents executed a search warrant on Conway’s rented room and mobile phone, seizing prescription paper, lists of runners and pharmacies, doctors’ names and DEA numbers, and dozens of communications call logs and text messages with various co-defendants.
On October 6, 2020, Conway was charged by criminal information with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone and, one week later, he pleaded guilty. As part of his plea agreement, Conway is also subject to a $10,000 money judgement.
This case was investigated by the DEA. It was prosecuted by Kemp Strickland, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.