A Long Island urologist and his wife who once appeared on the Bravo reality TV show “Below Deck” were indicted Thursday over a scheme to obtain prescription painkillers using the identities of cast members from the hit series, prosecutors said.
Dr. Francis Martinis, 55, of Fort Salonga, and his wife, 38-year-old Jessica Martinis, allegedly filled bogus opioid scripts written out to other cast members from the franchise, which follows workers on luxury yachts, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.
The couple first raised eyebrows in January, when Jessica tried to fill a prescription for oxycodone that was hand-written by her husband, the DA’s Office said in a statement.
The pharmacist in Kings Park was taken aback because most prescriptions are sent electronically from physicians, and Jessica was also not the name listed on the script.
The pharmacist declined to fill the request and alerted the Suffolk County Police Department, the announcement read.
A subsequent investigation involving Suffolk County authorities as well as the US Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security found that Francis had allegedly filed “numerous” digital oxycodone prescriptions at CVS pharmacies in the area.
The patients listed on the scripts, however, were all former cast members of “Below Deck,” prosecutors said.
Jessica Martinis was tasked with picking up the prescriptions from the pharmacies and paying for them in cash, prosecutors alleged.
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The probe into the couple revealed that the powerful medication was never intended for the listed patients – though it was not immediately clear if the couple intended to sell them or use them personally.
“Physicians are held to a high standard, as they take an oath to uphold a number of professional ethical standards when they begin their careers. The conduct Dr. Martinis allegedly engaged in with his wife not only violated this oath, but it also violated the law,” District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said in a statement.
The couple appeared as charter guests on “Below Deck Mediterranean” in 2019, when part of their trip through the French Riviera was documented on the show, NBC reported.
The following year, Francis also appeared as a guest on “Below Deck Sailing Yacht,” which featured a 180-foot sailboat cruise of the Ionian Sea, according to the outlet.
He and his wife frequently attended promotional events with other cast members, Francis even posted a selfie with Bravo’s Andy Cohen and longtime “Below Deck” star João Franco to his Instagram in 2019.
Francis and Jessica Martinis were arrested on an indictment charging them with four felony charges each of criminal sale of prescription for a controlled substance and falsifying business records, announced.
“These arrests are a reminder that a doctor’s illicit drug diversion can lead to irreparable harm like the drug overdoses and poisonings currently plaguing our nation,” said Frank Tarentino, the special agent in charge of DEA’s New York division.
“The DEA is rooted in an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to save lives from illegal drug misuse and abuse through enforcement, education, and prevention,” Tarentino said in a statement. “By working with our law enforcement partners and the community, we identified two individuals who brazenly diverted controlled substances intended for medicinal purposes to the illegal drug market.”
The couple appeared Thursday in front of Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Richard Ambro, who set bail conditions for supervised release, the DA’s Office said.
They both pleaded not guilty, their attorney, Peter A. Crusco, told The Post Thursday.
The pair “look forward to their day in court to clear their names,” Crusco said, adding, “The evidence will show the charges are bogus and cannot be substantiated in the crucible of the courtroom.”
They are due back in court Jan. 25.
Reps for the show declined to comment.
