Four sentenced in Annandale opioid prescription conspiracy
Oct 11, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0202 · Published 2026-10-11 · Version 4 · Final
Four participants in an Annandale physician’s unlawful-prescription conspiracy received different prison sentences, ranging from eight months to five years. DOJ describes fake patient information, paid appointment slots and coordinated pharmacy pickups. These are imposed sentences following guilty pleas, rather than maximum possible penalties.
What happened
DOJ reported sentencing of four participants who had pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute schedule II controlled substances and acquire promethazine-codeine solution by fraud. Yared Michael Tesfaye received sixty months; Elhadj Malick Diallo received time served, approximately thirteen months; Cameron Isaiah Lewis received eight months; and Raymono Alfonzo Russell II received ten months. These are the four defendants identified in the release, separate from the physician involved in the wider conspiracy. The different terms should not be combined into a single sentence or confused with statutory maximum exposure.
According to court documents described by DOJ, the 2023–2024 scheme used lists of purported patients, variations of names and false addresses to send prescriptions to pharmacies in multiple states. Tesfaye sold appointment slots with the physician, while Lewis and Diallo paid $300 per fraudulent prescription, collected drugs and distributed them for profit. The investigation began after Russell attempted a pharmacy pickup in September 2023 and officers found prescription bottles in multiple patient names from the same prescriber. Those details connect prescriber, patient-identity and pickup patterns across locations, supporting coordinated review of unresolved red flags rather than examination of each prescription in isolation.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Final
- Applicability
- Operationally relevant
- Audience
- Health systems, Provider networks
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
Why it matters
Cross-state fills and repeated aliases can conceal an unlawful prescribing relationship.
Recommended action
Review prescriber, patient and pickup-person patterns; escalate unresolved controlled-substance red flags and preserve prescribing documentation.
Case details
- agencies
- U.S. Department of Justice
- entities
- Yared Michael Tesfaye, Elhadj Malick Diallo, Cameron Isaiah Lewis, Raymono Alfonzo Russell II
- action Type
- Criminal resolution
- event Date
- 2026-10-02
- alleged Conduct
- Prescription conspiracy involving aliases and cash payments.
- resolution
- Imposed sentences: Tesfaye 60 months; Diallo time served, approximately 13 months; Lewis 8 months; Russell 10 months.
Operational lessons
- Review prescriber, patient and pickup-person patterns; escalate unresolved controlled-substance red flags and preserve prescribing documentation.
Sources
- Four sentenced in Annandale opioid prescription conspiracyOfficial · U.S. Department of Justice · 2026-10-02 · Source review 2026-10-11
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