Camp Lester corpsman gets two years for Percocet scam

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Camp Lester corpsman gets two years for Percocet scam
By Cindy Fisher, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday January 30, 2008

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A Camp Lester corpsman was sentenced to almost two years’ confinement Monday for taking part in a pharmaceutical drug conspiracy involving 11 other hospital corpsmen.

U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa Seaman James P. Novack, who pleaded guilty Dec. 20 at a general court-martial to recruiting another to participate in the conspiracy, wrongfully using the prescription drugs and related charges, also was reduced to E-1 and given a bad conduct discharge.

He was one of several corpsmen recruited by Seaman William A. Blado, also assigned to the hospital, to pick up prescriptions for Percocet that Blado fraudulently entered into the hospital pharmacy database, according to Novack’s testimony in December.

Novack would go to the pharmacy to get the prescription and later in the day split the pills with Blado, he said. Novack also recruited another corpsman, Seaman Stephen Froelich, he testified.

“I know what I did was wrong,” Novack said in an unsworn statement Monday. “I have to man-up and face everything.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52019