May 12, 2022

TRENTON, N.J. – A former pharmacist was arrested today for her role in distributing and dispensing outside the course of professional practice large quantities of oxycodone and other controlled substances from a pharmacy located in Trenton, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Florence Ndubizu, 62, of Princeton Junction, New Jersey, is charged in a three-count indictment unsealed today with one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense and to possess with intent to distribute and to dispense Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, between 2014 and 2017; one count of unlawfully distributing and dispensing a controlled substance; and one count of maintaining a premises for the illegal distribution of a controlled substance. Ndubizu is scheduled to make her initial appearance by videoconference this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni.

According to documents filed in this case:

Between 2014 and 2017, Ndubizu was the co-owner and pharmacist-in-charge of Healthcare Pharmacy in Trenton. She and her employee conspirators, acting at her direction, systematically filled fraudulent prescriptions outside the usual course of professional practice, knowing that the drugs would not be used for a legitimate medical purpose, but instead would be illegally diverted, including to street-level drug dealers. Ndubizu, operating a single-location pharmacy, purchased and distributed millions of dosage units of oxycodone, including over 800,000 pills in 2014; over 900,000 pills in 2015; over 800,000 pills in 2016; and over 200,000 pills in 2017, until the DEA suspended the pharmacy’s registration. During each of the years 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, Healthcare Pharmacy was one of the largest purchasers of oxycodone in the state of New Jersey. On Aug. 31, 2017, the DEA served Ndubizu with an order immediately suspending Healthcare Pharmacy’s ability to distribute controlled substances, including oxycodone.

Ndubizu diverted oxycodone pills to cash-paying customers, including street-level drug dealers with fraudulent prescriptions, and then evaded state and federal reporting requirements by manipulating the pharmacy’s dispensing records to conceal the missing inventory. The DEA conducted an audit of Healthcare Pharmacy’s inventory records and government reporting records and found that between April 2015 and August 2017 alone, Ndubizu and Healthcare Pharmacy diverted more than 80,000 oxycodone containing pills, containing more than 2 kilograms of oxycodone.

The conspiracy charged in Count One and substantive unlawful distribution of Schedule II controlled substances charged in Count Two each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Count Three, charging Ndubizu with maintaining Healthcare Pharmacy as a drug-involved premises carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited diversion investigators, special agents and task force officers of the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest. He also thanked special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, officers of the Trenton Police Department, and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Ndubizu’s husband, Gordian A. Ndubizu, the co-owner of Healthcare Pharmacy, was also arrested today arrested today on tax evasion offenses charged in a separate indictment. Florence Ndubizu is not charged in the tax case.

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May 12, 2022

TRENTON, N.J. – A Mercer County, New Jersey, man was arrested today for tax evasion and filing false tax returns, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Gordian A. Ndubizu, 67, of Princeton Junction, New Jersey, is charged in an eight-count indictment unsealed today with four counts of tax evasion and four counts of filing false tax returns in tax years 2014 through 2017. He is scheduled to make his initial appearance by videoconference this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni.

According to documents filed in this case:

During tax years 2014 through 2017, Ndubizu was a professor of accounting at a university in Pennsylvania as well as the co-owner of Healthcare Pharmacy in Trenton. The pharmacy was organized as an S corporation, the income of which flowed through to Ndubizu and his wife and was to be reported on their personal income tax returns. Ndubizu prepared fraudulent books and records for Healthcare Pharmacy inflating the pharmacy’s costs of goods sold to reduce and underreport the pharmacy’s actual profits flowing through to Ndubizu and his wife. Ndubizu identified certain wire transfers as payments to purchase goods sold by the pharmacy when these wire transfers were in fact made to personal bank accounts under Ndubizu’s control and to bank accounts in Nigeria associated with an automotive company under Ndubizu’s control. Each of Ndubizu’s tax returns for tax years 2014 through 2017 falsely underreported his income and falsely reported that he had no financial interest in or signature authority over any foreign bank accounts. Ndubizu failed to report approximately $3.3 million in income from the pharmacy, resulting in the evasion of approximately $1.3 million in tax due and owing.

Each count of tax evasion carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000. Each count of filing a false tax return carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest. He also thanked diversion investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration, officers of the Trenton Police Department, and Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Ramey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Ndubizu’s wife, Florence Ndubizu, the co-owner of Healthcare Pharmacy, was also was arrested arrested today on federal controlled substance offenses charged in a separate indictment. She is not charged in the tax fraud case.

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GordianNdubizu.Indictment.pdf

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May 12, 2022

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–Trenton’s “Angel of Faith” monument was reported stolen from St. Michaels at the corner of North Warren & Perry Steets sometime over the weekend. Someone used a saw to cut the statue down by its legs and only the feet remain where the statue once stood. The Angel of Faith was erected by Mayor Donal J. Connolly, Citizens Committee 1947-1959 and the City of Trenton. The monument was dedicated to the people of Trenton on October 27, 1986. It is reported that Trenton Police are investigating the incident. No additional information is available at this time.

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5/12/2022 Photos by: Brian McCarthy, OnScene News

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