FirstMed Consulting Blog

Former civilian employee from Prince George’s Co. resold pills for profit

After an Air Force base in Maryland stopped ordering Viagra in 2005, Lawrence Williams spotted an opportunity.

The former civilian employee at Andrews Air Force Base continued to order the drug used for male erectile dysfunction on behalf of the military and resold the pills for personal profit.

In Greenbelt, U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow yesterday sentenced Williams, 48, of District Heights, to six months in prison, followed by 5 months of electronic home monitoring and three years of supervised release for stealing at least 100 bottles of Viagra from the military. The judge also ordered Williams to pay $46,848.60 in restitution.

According to his guilty plea, Williams worked as a medical logistics specialist at Andrews beginning in 2000, placing orders for and distributing supplies of prescription drugs to the base’s medical facilities.

In June 2005, Viagra was removed from the base-approved prescription drug list. But Williams used his position for the next year to order bottles of Viagra on behalf of the Air Force, which he resold. Each 100-pill bottle of Viagra cost the Air Force $551.16 in 2005 and $581.06 in 2006.

On July 13, 2006, authorities learned that Williams had concealed 15 bottles of Viagra in his car and was attempting to leave the base. Williams was arrested and the drugs recovered. Williams admitted to stealing at least 100 bottles of Viagra, and smaller amounts of the prescription drug Levitra, also for erectile dysfunction.