Members of fraudulent prescription ring sentenced
Published 12:00 am Saturday, November 23, 2019
NEW ORLEANS – Shallon Davis Dunmiles, together with Lashonda Melancon, Danyelle Tuco, Andrea Stalks, Ebony Stewart, Cortaz Williams, Danielle Anderson, and Wilfred Perrilloux have all been sentenced after pleading guilty to charges from their arrest in St. John the Baptist Parish last year for obtaining and distributing prescription drugs using a physician’s prescription pad.
According to Court documents, Dunmiles, a former employee at a medical clinic in LaPlace, and Melancon were sentenced by District Court Judge Lance M. Africk. Dunmiles was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Melancon was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Both were sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess and possess with the intent to distribute illicitly obtained prescription medications, including dextroamphetamine/Adderall, a Schedule II drug controlled substance, and promethazine with codeine, a Schedule V drug controlled substance. The investigation revealed that during the course of the conspiracy, Dunmiles wrote approximately 148 fraudulent prescriptions using her former employer’s prescription pad. Together with Melancon, Dunmiles distributed the prescriptions, often in exchange for money.
Perrilloux, Stalks, Stewart, Tuco, Williams, and Anderson were all sentenced previously after pleading guilty to conspiracy to acquire or obtain possession of the prescription medication by forgery. The investigation revealed that these individuals were all involved with obtaining the fraudulent prescriptions from Dunmiles and Melancon. Perrilloux was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, followed by a one-year term of supervised release. Stalks, Stewart, Tuco, Williams, and Anderson were all sentenced to a three-year term of probation.
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser also praised the work of the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad (TDS) in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh is in charge of the prosecution.
