DA: Valley Stream man indicted in opioid pills scam

A Valley Stream man who allegedly used forged prescriptions to get thousands of oxycodone and morphine pills at Nassau County pharmacies is facing two felony indictments, prosecutors announced Friday.

Court records show James Cosentino, 29, pleaded not guilty Thursday to multiple counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a controlled substance during a Nassau County Court arraignment.

It followed a separate such proceeding in February, when Cosentino pleaded not guilty to the same felony charges in a different indictment.

Cosentino's Carle Place attorney, Kimberly Lerner, declined to comment Friday on the allegations against him but said he is battling cancer.

"James is focused on fighting his stage four cancer," she told Newsday. "... He's a very, very sick man who doesn't know how much time he has left."

Prosecutors have alleged Cosentino used prescription pads stolen from doctors’ offices in Inwood and Valley Stream before going to several pharmacies and obtaining the opioid pills with forged prescriptions.

They said Friday that Cosentino allegedly acquired more than 14,000 oxycodone and morphine pills between December 2019 and September 2020.

They’ve also alleged he obtained more than 1,800 pills that included those same drugs between December 2021 and April 2022. Some of the charges accuse Cosentino of intending to sell the narcotics.

“Again and again, Cosentino allegedly used these forged prescription pads — stolen from doctors’ offices — to get his hands on thousands of pills. 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,” Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement Friday.

Prosecutors said Cosentino is facing up to nine years in prison if convicted of the top count in his most recent indictment.

Cosentino visited the offices of physicians whose prescription pads were stolen, according to authorities, who said they aren't looking at additional suspects in connection with those thefts.

Court records show police also arrested Cosentino in May on similar charges, but he hasn't been indicted in that matter.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Francis Ricigliano released Cosentino on his own recognizance after Thursday’s arraignment. The defendant is due back in court next month.