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Queens Doctor Made $2.5M Selling Oxycodone Illegally, U.S. Attorney Says

By Kathleen Culliton | December 2, 2016 4:40pm | Updated on December 4, 2016 12:56pm
 Dr. Emmanuel Lambrakis was arrested and charged with selling almost 2.4 million pills, records show.
Dr. Emmanuel Lambrakis was arrested and charged with selling almost 2.4 million pills, records show.
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QUEENS — A doctor who earned $2.5 million illegally selling pain pills out of his Jamaica and Astoria clinics was arrested on Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Dr. Emmanuel Lambrakis, 69, sold about 23,000 prescriptions for oxycodone — an addictive narcotic with a $30 per tablet street value — between 2011 and 2016 from his clinics at 175-61 Hillside Ave. in Jamaica and 3276 31st St. in Astoria, according to a criminal complaint.

Lambrakis charged $150 for patient visits that often lasted less than five minutes, including some where multiple patients were seen at the same time in a single examination room, prosecutors charged.

During these visits, the doctor would rotate the patients arms or legs as if to examine them, say little to nothing to the patients and then write up prescriptions for 120 30-milligram tablets of oxycodone, according to the complaint.

He would commonly conduct more than 30 visits in one day and is estimated to have collected more than $2.5 million in patient fees, prosecutors said.

Lambrakis — who faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of conspiring to distribute oxycodone charges—  is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Friday.

“Although licensed as a doctor, as alleged, Emmanuel Lambrakis was a prolific and dangerous drug dealer,” said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said.

“He allegedly pumped medically unnecessary oxycodone pills into our communities, feeding the addiction of countless people.”

Lambrakis' attorney was not immediately available for comment.