Pharmacy That Was Raided Closes

The Hellertown Pharmacy, which was raided by federal agents last year, has closed, a borough official confirmed Wednesday.

A Hellertown drugstore that made headlines last year when it was raided by DEA and FBI agents is closed after its lease was terminated, the borough's zoning and codes enforcement officer, Kris Russo, confirmed Wednesday in an email. The all-day raid that took place at the Hellertown Pharmacy on Nov. 29, 2012 was the culmination of a federal investigation into an alleged multimillion-dollar online prescription fraud scheme that spanned two years, according to published reports. Two pharmacists from the drugstore—Lena Lasher, 45, also known as Lena Congtang, and 59-year-old Peter Riccio—were subsequently named in an indictment that was unsealed in a New York federal court. The Hellertown Pharmacy opened in the Shoppes at Hellertown late in …

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Tell Us: Will You Shop at Pharmacy That Was Raided?

The Hellertown Pharmacy remains open, in spite of the fact that two of its pharmacists are accused of participating in a multi-million dollar prescription fraud scheme.

Relationships between pharmacists and customers are based upon trust. Two local druggists, however, are accused of breaching the trust of their clientele. Last week, Hellertown Pharmacy employees Lena Lasher, 45, and Peter Riccio, 59, were indicted by federal authorities on charges related to an alleged multi-million dollar, international prescription fraud scheme that revolved around the online sale of addictive painkillers. In March of this year, North Dakota authorities accused them of engaging in a similar operation. The charges announced last week were made public after the Hellertown Pharmacy--which opened with a highly-publicized celebration nearly two years ago--was raided Nov. 29 by agents for the FBI, DEA and IRS, much to the …

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Pharmacists Were Allegedly Part of Fraud Scheme

Hellertown pharmacists Lena Lasher and Peter Riccio have been accused of participating in a multi-million dollar prescription fraud scheme, according to numerous published reports.

Pharmacists Were Part of Fraud Scheme, Reports Say

Hellertown pharmacists Lena Lasher and Peter Riccio have been accused of participating in a multi-million dollar prescription fraud scheme, according to numerous published reports.

The all-day raid that took place at Hellertown Pharmacy Thursday was part of a federal investigation into an alleged multi-million dollar online prescription fraud scheme that spanned two years, according to multiple published reports. The Morning Call has reported that two pharmacists from the local drugstore--Lena Lasher, 45, also known as Lena Congtang, and 59-year-old Peter Riccio--are named in an indictment that was unsealed in a federal court in Manhattan. The indictment alleges that Lasher and Riccio conspired with website operators and physicians in other states and countries to write prescriptions for addictive painkillers without following proper protocol--and the law. According to WFMZ Channel 69 News, Lasher and Riccio were …

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