13 in Prescription Drug Ring Sentenced

Thirteen people, including a man from Cherokee County, were sentenced to prison today for their roles in a prescription drug distribution ring that involved more than 30,000 oxycodone pills.

"These defendants exhibited total disregard for how their pill peddling could destroy lives," United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a statement. "This prescription drug can be deadly when not taken under proper medical oversight. Such brazen forging of prescriptions should serve as a reminder that some in our society will go to any length for illicit gain."

Kristen Noelle Goduto of Marietta allegedly manufactured prescriptions for oxycodone and recruited others to pass the forged prescriptions throughout the Northern District of Georgia, said Robert Page, the spokesman for Yates' office.

"The prescriptions would appear legitimate and would often pass through pharmacies because Goduto would either replace the doctor’s office number with her cellular telephone number, so she could falsely verify that the prescription was legitimate, or she kept the doctor’s true number, but either had the prescriptions passed on nights or weekends (when the doctor’s office was closed)," Page said.

Goduto, 29, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, which will be followed by five years of supervised release.

Others sentenced today included:

• Kory Joseph Goduto, 32, of Marietta. Goduto was sentenced to 11 years, eight months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
• Pasquale Peter Goduto, 62, of Marietta. Goduto was sentenced to three years of probation.
• Mark James O’Brien, 36, of Marietta. O’Brien was sentenced to five years, three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
• Lori Rene Anderson, 34, of Acworth. Anderson was sentenced to three years of probation, including one year of home confinement.
• Georgia Ann Hulsey, 33, of Marietta. Hulsey was sentenced to time served in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
• Phillip David Hobbs, 40, of Canton. Hobbs was sentenced to time served in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
• David Lee Tanner, 34, of Acworth. Tanner was sentenced to time served in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
• Ryan Patrick Trento, 27, of Marietta. Trento was sentenced to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
• Justin Howard, 30, of Braselton. Howard was sentenced to three years of probation.
• Ajian Martine Greene, 29, of Sandy Springs. Greene was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
• Terry Randy Wallace, 24, of Newnan. Wallace was sentenced to three years of probation.
• Carl Clifton Lewis, 25, of Conyers. Lewis was sentenced to time served in prison to be followed by two months in a halfway house and three years of supervised release.

Before today's sentencing, the defendants had pleaded guilty to the charges, Page said.

Authorities with the Cartersville Police Department, the Cherokee Muli-Agency Narcotics Squad, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, the Smyrna Police Department, the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Drug Enforcement Administration with the investigation.