Now you know where Tony Soprano gets his ideas about selling counterfeit Fosamax.

In Scarsdale, a super-wealthy New York suburb, a Gambino family capo was getting Viagra samples from a few friendly docs and trafficking the little blue pills. This medicinal mafia was uncovered as part of a broader investigation into Gregory DePalma and the clan.

As a result, a neurologist became the 34th person convicted in a large federal probe into the Gambino family. Stephen Klass, 63, pleaded guilty yesterday in US District Court in Manhattan to one misdemeanor count of aiding and abetting the illegal distribution of drug samples. He faces a maximum sentence of up to a year in prison, but faces a likely sentence of no more than six months in jail, according to the plea agreement he signed with federal prosecutors.

Like just about everyone else convicted in the case, Klass became ensnared in the federal investigation by his association with the loquacious DePalma, who was the centerpiece of a two-year investigation that focused on DePalma’s Westchester crew but grew to include the accused top brass and many reputed Gambino capos, soldiers, and associates.

Federal agents from the FBI’s White Plains office planted a bug in a cell phone DePalma used to secretly record thousands of hours of DePalma’s conversations about a wide array of the crime family’s racketeering endeavors and its leadership structure. An undercover FBI agent posed as a jewel thief and infiltrated DePalma’s inner circle.

The bugged phone helped FBI agents charge Klass and two other prominent Westchester physicians with illegally giving DePalma large amounts of drug samples that they then distributed to his associates. In exchange, DePalma allegedly gave the doctors some of the stolen loot that his crew allegedly trafficked.

Maybe, just maybe, this is a bigger problem. Why should a wiseguy rely only on a counterfeit operation or dealing in expired batches when he can put the arm on some docs with overflowing sample closets? Do it enough, and you have a steady stream of the hottest meds. And you just know the sales reps will be back soon enough with a fresh supply.

Source: The Journal-News.

Hat tip to Insider[tags]Pfizer, Samples, Viagra[/tags]