Bridgewater, Vermont Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Opioids

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on June 10, 2024, Law Zabriskie, 66, of Bridgewater, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to a time-served sentence to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. As part of Zabriskie’s sentence, the Court also ordered Zabriskie to pay a $10,000 forfeiture money judgment. Zabriskie previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Tapentadol, a Schedule II controlled substance, as well as Tramadol, Carisoprodol, and Zolpidem, Schedule IV controlled substances.

According to court records, beginning in or about 2019 through on or about June 29, 2021, Law Zabriskie and others became involved in receiving and redistributing controlled substances and misbranded pharmaceutical drugs. The substances typically were shipped from outside the United States and received in Vermont. Zabriskie and others maintained mailboxes in Vermont and elsewhere where they received packages containing controlled substances and misbranded drugs, and Zabriskie and others also received shipments at their residences in Vermont. These substances included pills containing opioids Tapentadol and Tramadol, as well as Carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant, among others.

During the conspiracy, Zabriskie and others communicated using email and other electronic platforms to discuss shipping arrangements, customer payments, and marketing materials. Zabriskie and others then redistributed the controlled substances and misbranded drugs to customers throughout the United States, typically by U.S. mail. Some shipments were mailed from post offices in the District of Vermont.

In June 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence of one of Zabriskie’s coconspirators in Bethel, Vermont and seized about 14,449 pills containing Schedule II and IV drugs. Also in June 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Zabriskie’s residence in West Bridgewater, Vermont and recovered shipping material and approximately 15,000 Zolpidem pills concealed in packages of baked goods.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Rutland City Police Department.

“The FDA is charged with ensuring that prescription drugs distributed to U.S. consumers are safe and effective. When criminals introduce prescription drugs into the U.S. that are not FDA-approved, they jeopardize the public’s health,” said Fernando McMillian, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office. “The FDA is committed to doing our part to disrupt and dismantle illegal prescription drug distribution networks, including those that import unapproved drugs from overseas and distribute those drugs with reckless disregard for the risk to all consumers’ health.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Gilman and, previously, by Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Boscia. Zabriskie was represented by Brooks McArthur, Esq.