Valley Stream man indicted in alleged opioid scheme

A Valley Stream man was arrested and charged by county prosecutors for using forged doctors’ prescriptions to dupe Nassau County pharmacies out of thousands of opioid pills. 

Senior Assistant District Attorney Matthew Laube of the Narcotics, Firearms, and Gangs Bureau announced criminal charges against James Cosentino, 29, on July 7. He is charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a controlled substance. If found guilty, Cosentino faces a potential maximum sentence of nine years in prison.

He was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Francis Ricigliano. He is due back in court next month.

Cosentino allegedly stole prescription pads from doctors’ offices in Inwood and Valley Stream and went on a four-month stint starting in December 2021 handing forged prescriptions to pharmacies around the county. During which time police officials said Cosentino managed to nab 1,830 pills of oxycodone and morphine.

“Again and again, Cosentino allegedly used these forged prescription pads – stolen from doctors’ offices – to get his hands on thousands of pills,” said District Attorney Anne Donnelly in a statement. “We will continue to fight the scourge of opioids in our county and prosecute those individuals who prolong the life of this epidemic in our communities.”

Casentino faces pending indictment on the same felony charges for allegedly scamming pharmacies in Nassau County out of oxycodone and morphine pills between December 2019 and September 2020 where officials say he obtained 11,580 oxycodone pills and 2,820 morphine pills.

Cosentino is represented by his attorney Kimberly Lerner.