U.S. Attorney Presents Equitable Sharing Funds To Law Enforcement Partners

Florida National Guard Counterdrug Program representatives

accept equitable sharing funds from U.S. Attorney Bentley.

On April 29, 2015, U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, along with Acting Special Agent in Charge A.D. Wright, DEA Miami Field Division, and United States Marshal William Berger announced the distribution of more than $2.4 million of criminally forfeited funds to 15 law enforcement agencies for their participation in the successful federal prosecution of Zachary Timothy Rose. Pursuant to the Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Program, the funds have been distributed to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Financial Services – Division of Insurance Fraud, the Dooly County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office, the Fernandina Beach Police Department, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Green Cove Springs Police Department, the Florida National Guard Counterdrug Program, the Sunrise Police Department, and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. These agencies provided critical assistance during the investigation.

According to court documents, Rose had opened and operated illegitimate pain clinics in Jacksonville and elsewhere. At these clinics, purported patients were prescribed high dosages of pain medications without appropriate medical examinations and assessments. The clinics often saw in excess of 100 patients per day, and many of the individuals were traveling from Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee to obtain pain pills. On July 16, 2014, Rose was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison.  As part of the sentence, the Court ordered the forfeiture of $2,461,801, which was deemed the proceeds of the offenses.

U.S. Attorney Bentley and U.S. Marshal Berger distribute the funds to the partners involved in the case.