EXCLUSIVEDoctor and wife who appeared on Below Deck are charged in prescription drugs plot after 'stealing the identities of other cast members to write bogus scripts for oxycodone'
Dr. Francis Martinis and his wife, Jessica, were arrested in May and charged with 8 counts of criminal sale of controlled substance and falsifying business records
The couple is expected to appear in Riverhead, Long Island, court on Thursday
Officials told NBC New York that the handwritten prescription notes raised suspicions and led them to alert police
By Noa Halff For Dailymail.Com
Published: 15:25 GMT, 14 December 2023 | Updated: 18:36 GMT, 14 December 2023
A couple who appeared on reality show 'Below Deck' are accused of stealing the identities of cast members of the show in a scheme to obtain prescription drugs.
Dr. Francis Martinis, 55, a Long Island urologist, and his wife, Jessica, were arrested in May and charged with eight counts of criminal sale of controlled substance and falsifying business records, police told NBC New York.
The couple held hands as they arrived at Suffolk County Criminal Court on Long Island on Thursday morning.
Dr. Francis Martinis, 55, a Long Island urologist, and his wife, Jessica, arriving at Suffolk County Criminal Court on Thursday
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'Below Deck' star and wife attend court in Suffolk County
The prescription drug scheme unfolded earlier this year, when Jessica, 38, was suspected of attempting to fill a fraudulent oxycodone prescription at a New York pharmacy
Jessica Martinis wore a large pair of sunglasses as she gripped her husband's hand on the way into court Thursday morning
Martinis and his wife (outside court Thursday) appeared on 'Below Deck Mediterranean,' where they were members of a group who chartered a luxury yacht Sirocco that set sail on the French Riviera in 2019. The doctor also appeared on a Below Deck spin-off, 'Below Deck Sailing Yacht.'
The prescription drug scheme unfolded earlier this year, when Jessica, 38, was suspected of attempting to fill a fraudulent oxycodone prescription at a New York pharmacy.
Officials said the handwritten prescription notes raised suspicions and led them to alert police.
The investigation then revealed over a dozen oxycodone prescription sent by Martinis over a two-year period, many of which were allegedly bogus, and written under various cast member names of the Bravo hit show.
Jessica would pick up the prescriptions at the pharmacy, using cash to pay, officials told NBC New York.
It's unclear whether the couple were using or selling the drugs.
Former New York Homeland Security Director Michael Balboni explained the seriousness of these charges to NBC New York.
'He abused the celebrity position that he had on that ship to take the identities of his crew members - if that is proven - and then use that to buy drugs, that is a common scheme for a common criminal,' he told the outlet.
Dr. Francis Martinis, 55, a Long Island urologist, and his wife, Jessica, were arrested in May and charged with eight counts of criminal sale of controlled substance and falsifying business records
The couple is expected to appear in Riverhead, Long Island, court on Thursday
Jessica would pick up the prescriptions at the pharmacy, using cash to pay
The investigation then revealed over a dozen oxycodone prescription sent by Martinis over a two-year period, many of which were allegedly bogus, and written under various cast member names of the Bravo hit show
It's unclear whether the couple were using or selling the drugs
Martinis and his wife appeared on 'Below Deck Mediterranean,' where they were members of a group who chartered a luxury yacht Sirocco that set sail on the French Riviera in 2019
'Prosecutors will want to send a message to all other physicians - you have special access to these drugs, you know how they work and if you do this you will be prosecuted,' Balboni added.
Martinis and his wife appeared on 'Below Deck Mediterranean,' where they were members of a group who chartered a luxury yacht Sirocco that set sail on the French Riviera in 2019.
The doctor also appeared on a Below Deck spin-off, 'Below Deck Sailing Yacht.'
