Mar. 14—EAU CLAIRE — A Minnesota man will spend one year on probation for committing prescription drug fraud at an Eau Claire business.
Richard H. Malekebu, 32, of Brooklyn Park, pleaded guilty recently in Eau Claire County Court to a misdemeanor count of prescription drugs-false or forged prescription order.
A felony count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud was dismissed but considered at sentencing by Judge Annette Barna.
As conditions of probation, Malekebu cannot have contact with known drug dealers or users and must undergo any recommended programming or treatment.
Barna also fined Malekebu $443.
Malekebu's co-defendant, Jessica P. Palacio, 37, of Anoka, Minn., was previously sentenced.
According to the criminal complaint:
The manager of Walgreens in Altoona called police on Aug. 5, 2021, after they received a suspicious prescription for a male patient.
The patient was listed as living in Milwaukee and the doctor's address was listed as Menomonee Falls.
The phone number for the prescription pickup was listed for numerous other prescriptions with other patient names but with similar or the same medications related to respiratory ailments.
The prescriptions were sent to Walgreens stores in several states including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nevada.
In this instance, the prescription for the patient was for promethazine with codeine, an opioid pain medication.
Police were contacted again the next day when Palacio arrived to pick up the prescription for the patient.
Palacio said she was asked to pick up some medication for a friend because he had his daughter, so she drove from Minnesota to Altoona to pick it up. She said her friend also lives in Minnesota. She said she has known the man for a couple of years.
Authorities were able to determine that Palacio's friend was Malekebu.
Records show that Malekebu was involved in a retail theft in September 2019 and two prescription fraud cases in January 2022 that also involved promethazine.
Authorities contacted Malekebu by phone on Nov. 10, 2021. A police officer told Malekebu it seemed that he conspired to obtain the prescription by fraud.
Malekebu said he did not wish to speak with the officer anymore if he was a suspect.