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Monongahela pharmacist pleads guilty

2 min read

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A second Monongahela pharmacist has pleaded guilty in a drug-smuggling conspiracy case that involved nearly $2 million in money laundering.

Bryan R. Polomoscanik of Greensburg pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to conspiracy to smuggle and launder money through “unapproved and misbranded prescriptions drugs” purchased in Canada while he worked at Dierken’s Pharmacy and Giftland. The former owner of the 100 E. Main St. business, Jeffrey Markovitz of Clairton, pleaded guilty to identical charges in January, court records show.

Under the terms of the guilty pleas, they have to forfeit a total of $2.1 million in cash or property to cover their ill-gotten gains.

Polomoscanik, who purchased the pharmacy, ordered the unnamed drugs from a Canadian company and paid via bank checks for them on three separate occasions between October 2007 and June 14, 2011, the record shows. One check totaled $86,318.

Markovitz obtained the drugs from Canada between January 2006 and October 2007. On two occasions he wired money to Canada to complete the purchases, each of which cost $27,947.

The drugs were then placed under different labels to fool U.S. Customs.

The two men are not co-defendants, said Margaret Philbin, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton in Pittsburgh.

Both men are free on unsecured bonds.

Polomoscanik is scheduled to be sentenced May 1, while sentencing for Markovitz is set for May 13.

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