Doctor, Wife Accused of Identity Theft, Prescription Fraud in Bravo Reality Show Scandal
A doctor who appeared on a hit Bravo reality show and his wife pleaded not guilty on Long Island Thursday to stealing the identities of show cast members in an alleged scheme to obtain prescription drugs, according to officials.
Dr. Francis Martinis, a urologist in Fort Salonga, Long Island, and his wife, Jessica, who both appeared in the hit Bravo series “Below Deck,” are accused of allegedly using the personal information of other cast members to write bogus prescriptions for oxycodone, authorities said.
They are both charged in an eight-count indictment with multiple felony counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance by a practitioner and falsifying business records.
According to investigators, the scheme started to unfold earlier this year when Jessica went to a pharmacy in Kings Park in an attempt to fill a fake oxycodone prescription in January. The handwritten prescription raised concerns, prompting a pharmacist to call the police.
A subsequent investigation revealed that Martinis had sent dozens of prescriptions for oxycodone to Suffolk County pharmacies over a two-year period. Many of these prescriptions were allegedly fake and written under the names of two “Below Deck” cast members. Investigators said that Jessica would pick up the prescriptions and pay in cash as part of the alleged plot.
Doctors are considered trusted members of the community, with a tremendous amount of personal and professional responsibility, said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
The Martinis were arrested in May and charged with eight counts of criminal sale of controlled substances and falsifying business records, law enforcement officials said.
The alleged abuse of their positions as well as their celebrity status from being on the show have raised concerns regarding their motivations behind the scheme. The ongoing national addiction and overdose crisis was also cited as making the allegations all the more serious.
The couple, who chartered Sirocco, a luxury yacht, for an appearance on “Below Deck Mediterranean” and went on to appear on another Below Deck spin-off, “Below Deck Sailing Yacht,” had also attended promotional events with other crew members following their appearances.
The DEA is rooted in an “all hands on deck” approach to save lives from illegal drug misuse and abuse through enforcement, education, and prevention. The agency highlighted that the arrest of individuals, especially a doctor, on such charges is a reminder that a doctor’s illicit drug diversion can lead to irreparable harm like the drug overdoses and poisonings currently plaguing the nation.
Bravo did not respond to NBC New York’s request for comment.
The accused couple’s attorney told the court that the couple’s innocence will be proven, but prosecutors said that they will want to send a message to all other physicians that illegal drug diversion, especially by doctors, will not be taken lightly.