DA: Valley Stream man used doctor's prescription pad to get thousands of opioid pills

A Valley Stream man used a doctor’s prescription pad to get hold of thousands of oxycodone and morphine pills in nine months, authorities said.

James Cosentino, 27, was arrested Friday and charged with 10 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to a joint statement from the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency's New York Division.

He was arraigned Friday and released to be monitored by pretrial services, officials said.

"The defendant allegedly used forged prescriptions to acquire more than 13,000 opioid pills in just nine months," said Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas in the statement. "The opioid epidemic is impacting every corner of the United States and the crisis has only grown more acute during the coronavirus public health emergency."

Cosentino secured 11,580 oxycodone pills and 2,820 morphine pills during the nine-month period, officials said, for a total of 14,400 pills.

Mark Isaacs, Cosentino’s attorney who is based in Valley Stream, declined to comment Friday.

Cosentino acquired a prescription pad from a former doctor, officials said. He went to a pharmacy in Nassau County between December 2019 and September, sometimes in person, and presented forged prescriptions for oxycodone and morphine, prosecutors said.

Cosentino also placed a call to the same pharmacy at least once, claiming to be his former doctor, authorities said.