Former Southampton councilman Brad Bender is facing up the two-and-a-half years in state prison for his conviction on a charge of conspiracy to sell narcotics, if a federal district court judge approves a plea arrangement agreed to by prosecutors.
Bender, who pleaded guilty in November, was part of a multi-million dollar oxycodone scheme prosecutors said was led by Riverhead physician assistant Michael Troyan.
Troyan allegedly distributed the phony oxycodone prescriptions to about 20 people, who in turn would fill the prescriptions and sell the pills on the street, splitting the cash proceeds with Troyan, according to federal . The scheme began in 2011 and netted an estimated cash haul of more than $1.8 million.
Bender was one of the 20 co-conspirators involved in the drug ring, prosecutors say.
Bender, who was elected Southampton Town Councilman in 2013, resigned his seat last November at the time of the plea. He was replaced by Julie Lofstad of Hampton Bays in a special election in January.
A federal judge also approved an order for Bender to pay $5,000 in forfeiture money prior to sentencing, as first reported by the Riverhead News Review.
Troyan, who pleaded not guilty, was released on a bond on November 6 that included the deed to his father’s waterfront home. His next court date is May 6, 2016.
In the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend Bender be sentenced to 24 to 30 months in state prison, but the judge can impose a lesser sentence, including probation in lieu of imprisonment. Bender is scheduled to be sentenced June 24.
Editors note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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