Brattleboro pharmacy thief gets prison time

Tuesday April 23, 2013

BRATTLEBORO -- A former Hotel Pharmacy employee will serve time in federal prison for stealing tens of thousands of prescription-painkiller tablets and then shipping the pills across the country for resale.

Moments before he was sentenced to spend a year and a day behind bars and to pay $8,500 in restitution, Joshua Bozetarnik apologized for what the Elliot Street pharmacys owner had described as "devastating" thefts.

"Im truly sorry for what I did to all of you," Bozetarnik said. "I broke your trust. I wish I could take it back."

Bozetarnik, 29, last year pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Brattleboro to conspiracy to distribute hydrocodone. The crimes happened in 2006 and 2007 while Bozetarnik had been working as a pharmacy technician at Hotel Pharmacy.

Prosecutors said Bozetarnik stole the painkillers from his employer and sent them to a woman in Arizona. Both then profited from the pills illegal resale.

The extent of Bozetarniks thefts remains unclear, with previous estimates having ranged from 10,000 to 80,000 pills. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher said Mondays court sentencing was based on a quantity of 20,000 to 40,000 pills.

"This man had easy access to controlled substances that are highly addictive," Drescher said. "He abused that easy access."

He added that the thefts had a "significant" effect on the community.

Appearing in court to detail

Originally posted here:
Brattleboro pharmacy thief gets prison time