Chalmette Pharmacist Sentenced to 72 Months in Federal Prison

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KEITH WILKINSON, a pharmacist who owned and operated Wilkinson Family Pharmacy located in St. Bernard Parish, was sentenced to serve 72 months in custody for his role in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering.

According to the bill of information, beginning prior to 2014 and continuing until the filing of the bill of information on September 14, 2018, WILKINSON and others conspired to dispense, outside the scope of his professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, quantities of controlled substances.  WILKINSON also committed money laundering using criminally derived proceeds.

At his sentencing on Wednesday May 24, 2023, WILKINSON was sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee.

This prosecution was part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Louisiana State Police. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn McHugh of the Financial Crimes Unit.