MADISON HEIGHTS, MI. – A Madison Heights pharmacist was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison based on his convictions for conspiring to distribute over 25,000 opioid pills and for money laundering, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Yousef Kosho, 44, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cleland.
According to court records, Kosho operated Great Health Pharmacy, in Madison Heights, Michigan. He used the pharmacy to engage in a scheme and pattern of illegal conduct involving the unlawful distribution of prescription drugs.
Specifically, Kosho distributed prescription drugs from the pharmacy illegally, outside the course of usual professional pharmacy practice and for no legitimate medical purpose.
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Kosho would unlawfully dispense controlled substances by filling prescriptions for patient recruiters, including co-defendant Omar Madison, upon accepting cash payments. At times, these prescriptions would be dispensed in the names of patients who never frequented the pharmacy.
Co-defendant patient recruiter Madison would simply provide prescriptions to Kosho for dispensing without ever bringing the patient to the pharmacy. At other times, Kosho would sell entire pharmacy stock bottles of controlled substances to co-defendant Madison, and others without any medical prescriptions.
Kosho pled guilty to unlawfully dispensing 25,253 dosage units of Schedule II controlled substances including Oxycodone HCl, Oxymorphone HCl, Oxycodone-Acetaminophen, Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen, and more than 200,000 milliliters of Schedule V controlled substance Promethazine with Codeine.
As part of the court’s sentence, Kohso was also ordered to forfeit approximately $1.2 million in cash that was seized by federal agents during the investigation. His co-defendant, Omar Madison, pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking conspiracy charge and was sentenced on February 7, 2023, to 72 months in federal prison.
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“This pharmacist was spreading poison in our community instead of dispensing medicine and providing sound medical advice,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “My office will continue to investigate and prosecute medical professionals who abuse their licenses by selling drugs to satisfy their greed.”
“Irresponsible and criminal behavior by trusted medical professionals will absolutely not be tolerated. Mr. Kosho will now face the consequences of his unlawful acts. This case is a perfect example of what can be achieved when DEA and our law enforcement partners work collaboratively,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene.
“Our communities rely on our pharmacies to relieve suffering and not contribute to harmful addictions. Today’s sentence highlights the seriousness of Kohso’s conduct” said Charles Miller, Acting Special Agent in Charge Detroit Field Office, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. “IRS-CI will remain vigilant in working with our law enforcement partners to identify and investigate those seeking to intensify opioid addiction in our society.”
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