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Monday, May 20, 2013 | 12:14 p.m.

Posted: 4:52 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012

Avalon Park pharmacist accused of trading pills for sex

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Avalon Pharmacy raid photo
Avalon Pharmacy raid

AVALON PARK, Fla. —

WFTV has obtained new information in connection with last week's drug raid at a pharmacy in Avalon Park.

Valentine Okonkwo's was jailed last week with bond set at $530,000. A judge then ordered Okonkwo to prove that any money he posts isn't from illegal activity.

Local and federal drug agents raided Okonkwo's Avalon Park pharmacy Thursday and removed boxes of evidence.

Channel 9's Jeff Deal learned that officials said Okonkwo wasn't just trading drugs for money. According to court documents, he was also trading pills for sex.

Investigators said Okonkwo knowingly accepted bogus prescriptions at his pharmacy for more than a year and a half.

The arrest warrant affidavit reveals how investigators said Okonkwo was involved in a major prescription pill trafficking operation.

Agents said the operation started with Neil Calligari, who they allege bought real prescription paper online and printed hundreds of counterfeit prescriptions with DEA numbers and batch numbers from real doctors.

Investigators said Callegari and Ashley Dye would then find known drug addicts or people hard up for money to pass the bogus prescriptions at Avalon Pharmacy and other locations.

The alleged addicts would be paid in pills while the others would be paid $300.

Court documents show Dye told investigators they typically used women who would flirt with Okonkwo.

Police identified one of those women as Tessa Francavilla, who told investigators she would go to Okonkwo's house and have sex in exchange for oxycodone tablets.

In all, investigators said Okonkwo distributed more than 3,100 oxycodone tablets, along with other prescription drugs in at least 33 fraudulent transactions.

Investigators said the pharmacist made between $700 and $1,000 per transaction.

Callegari said he used Avalon Pharmacy because he knew other people who made counterfeit prescriptions brought them there, and Okonkwo accepted them.

In all, 230 fake prescriptions were produced and 33 were filled at Avalon Pharmacy, investigators said.

Okonkwo faces 32 counts of trafficking in controlled substances and one count of conspiracy to traffic.

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