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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 09 June 2015

Created: 09 June 2015

Last Updated: 11 June 2015

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A Scarsdale doctor and his wife have been arrested by the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York for conspiracy and illegal prescription sales during a six and half year period in which they sold over $77 million of painkillers. Moreover, a search of their home on Black Birch Lane yielded $600,000 in cash. If Scarsdale was surprised by the "pot" mom, imagine how Quaker Ridge neighbors feel about this foray into harder drugs and bigger time crime.

According to a press release from the prosecutor's office, Dr. Rogelio Lucas, age 77, and his wife Lydia Lucas, age 79, were arrested on the morning of June 9th outside their apartment at 215 West 95th Street in New York. The couple, who also owns a home at 15 Black Birch Lane in Scarsdale, were the subject of a long-term investigation. Prosecutors say that Dr. Lucas - who is a licensed internist - originally ran a regular medical practice where he treated elderly patients who were covered by Medicaid. But in 2009 he converted his business to a "a pill mill ...churning out tens of thousands of prescriptions for oxycodone in exchange for illegal cash payments."

Working out of his office at 215 West 101st Street Dr. Lucas wrote 45 to 50 prescriptions for oxycodone a day. Prosecutors say there was often a crowd in the waiting room, which prompted complaints from neighbors. Lucas relocated his office three times before landing at his current location.

The doctor allegedly wrote oxycodone prescriptions patients with no legitimate medical need for the pain medication. His wife Lydia assisted by collecting approximately $120 cash for each office visit. Since Jan. 2, 2009, the doctor wrote over 23,600 oxycodone prescriptions for approximately 3.1 million pills. The pills would have carried an estimated street value of $77 million on the black market.

In the course of the investigation, agents searched the Lucas' office, apartment in Manhattan and the home at 15 Black Birch Lane in Scarsdale. In Scarsdale, they discovered more than $600,000 in cash. They also seized medical and bank records.

For the year between June 2013 and July 2014, Dr. Lucas and his wife made approximately $500,000 in cash deposits into multiple bank accounts.

Lucas' business extended beyond the walls of his office to drug rings. Investigators believe multiple drug rings received oxycodone prescriptions from him. It is alleged that members of the drug ring recruited runners to visit the doctor's office and obtain prescriptions. These runners waited an hour or more to see the doctor, though some received preferential treatment and were moved to the head of the line. Though photo I.D. was required for patients, the doctor only performed "cursory examinations" and took no patient history. Investigators believe that the prescriptions received from the doctor were filled at pharmacies and the pills were turned over to the drug ring for distribution.

In a press release dated June 9, 2015, Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan said, "Dr. Lucas is charged with being one of the city's most prolific illegal prescribers of the black market's favorite pill - 30 mg oxycodone. Instead of healing, doctors who routinely sign orders for unneeded narcotic drugs endanger the health and welfare of the public. Corrupt doctors who exchange prescriptions for cash have stoked the epidemic of addiction gripping our region."

DEA Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt stated, "When Dr. Lucas first opened his medical practice on the Upper West Side, residents embraced the thought of having a family doctor in the neighborhood. But when Dr. Lucas' illegal medical practices pushed residents out of his office, he replaced them with drug traffickers; exchanging medically unnecessary prescriptions for cash. Law enforcement at all levels continues to investigate and arrest those responsible for enabling the opioid addict population by distributing heroin or diverted prescription pills throughout our communities."

"This doctor allegedly abused his position as a medical professional, profiting from the sale of prescriptions while fueling the supply of a highly addictive painkiller that has led to numerous overdose deaths," said Police Commissioner William J. Bratton. "Thanks to the efforts of the investigators involved in this case and our law enforcement partners, this organization will no longer distribute these pills into our communities."

Doctor Lucas was indicted for conspiracy in the 4th degree, and 37 counts of Criminal Sale of a Prescription for a Controlled Substance for allegedly selling prescriptions for oxycodone, a powerful opioid painkiller in exchange for cash over the course of six and a half years. His wife Lydia Lucas is change with a count of Conspiracy in the 4th degree and 37 counts of Criminal Sale of a Prescription for a Controlled Substance.

The Lucases were arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court before Justice Bonnie G. Wittner on Tuesday afternoon June 6th.The judge set bail at $1 million dollars and ordered the couple to turn in their passports.

The arrests are the result of a long-term investigation by the Special Narcotics Prosecutor's Prescription Drug Investigation Unit, the DEA New York Division's Tactical Diversion Squad (Group TDS-NY), the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and HRA. Assisting in the investigation were the New York State Health Department's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE), the Nassau County Police Department and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Group TDS-NY is comprised of agents and officers from the DEA, the NYPD, the Town of Orangetown Police Department and the Westchester County Police Department.

Though no pictures of the suspects were released, Erin Mulvey from the Drug Enforcement Agency forwarded the picture above of the cash seized from the Lucas home at 15 Black Birch Lane in Scarsdale.

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 17 June 2015

Created: 17 June 2015

Last Updated: 18 June 2015

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Former Scarsdale resident Marvin Rafeld was sentenced to three to nine years in jail on his 61st birthday, June 16, for stealing more than $2 million from his customers and vendors. Rafeld, who owned Wall Street Jewelers at 14 Wall Street for over twenty years appeared to be an honorable businessman until the terrorist attack on 9/11 caused a major downturn in his business. It seems that financial pressure got the best of him and he turned to defrauding trusted customers to stem his losses. In May, Rafeld pleaded guilty to six counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree.

Rafeld lived on Walworth Avenue for years and drew many customers from Scarsdale. Tall, gregarious and handsome, he was a popular coach, a Director of Scarsdale Youth Basketball and volunteer firefighter. More recently, perhaps while he awaited trial, Rafeld was seen working as a busboy at the Larchmont restaurant Lusardi's.

On Tuesday June 16, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced that Rafeld would serve three to nine years in state prison. Vance said, "In addition to defrauding his customers and vendors out of approximately $2 million, the defendant also admitted to stealing priceless pieces of jewelry, such as wedding bands, from victims who entrusted him with precious family heirlooms," said District Attorney Vance. "For certain types of criminals, trust is capital—and in this case—the defendant leveraged the cachet of Wall Street and the customer confidence he cultivated over many years to steal from victims under the guise of legitimate business."

According to his guilty plea beginning in 2013 Rafeld convinced customers to pay large sums of money for jewelry that Rafeld never bought. Additionally, he stole jewelry provided to him by both vendors and customers. In some cases, he promised to pay his vendors for pieces post-receipt, and in other cases, he appropriated for himself certain sentimental pieces of jewelry that his customers entrusted to him for repair.

In one such case, reported to the Scarsdale Police in 2013 a Bell Road woman complained that Rafeld had not given her the proceeds from the sale of her diamond ring. She brought the ring to him in November 2013. The ring was originally appraised at $16,000 but he said he would sell it for $3,600. She did not hear from him for a few months and in April 2014 he told her that he had sold the ring but could not pay her as he had declared bankruptcy. He paid her $750 and said he would pay the balance but never responded to her requests for the balance.

In total, the district attorney says Rafeld stole approximately $2.3 million from more than 100 unsuspecting customers and 16 different jewelry vendors. He was convicted of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a class C felony, 6 counts and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony, 1 count.

According to the Daily News, Rafeld, said, "There are no excuses for what I've done," Rafeld said. "I'm simply a coward who chose to give in to my misguided compulsion."

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Written by Stacie M. Waldman

Published: 02 June 2015

Created: 02 June 2015

Last Updated: 03 June 2015

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When we published an article about "Vaping" (the use of electronic cigarettes) on Scarsdale10583 less than a year ago, no one knew if inhaling the vaporized liquid posed a health risk. And even though that question has not yet been answered, the CDC has found that teenagers are vaping more than they were a year ago. In fact, the Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year in 2014 was "vape."

What is vaping and why is it becoming trendy? (A quick review)
Vaping is using an electronic device (called a vape pen, e-hookah, hookah stick, hookah pipe, or e-pen) to heat a tobacco-free liquid (usually called e-liquid) for the purpose of inhaling and exhaling the vapor in a way that looks and feels similar to traditional smoking. The liquid is made up of water, glycerin, propylene glycol, and flavors, some with and some without nicotine. There are more than 7,000 flavors of the e-liquid on the market, including cotton candy, sensual vanilla, Cuban mojito, root beer float, and toffee latte. On one website, you can even purchase custom blended flavors.

Vaping proponents claim the liquid must be safe because these same ingredients are in other products we have all been using for years, such as salad dressing, asthma inhalers, and shampoo. Opponents claim that we have not determined whether the liquid ingredients are safe for inhalation even if they are deemed to be safe in food or shampoo. Teens are interested in vaping because it is odorless, it tastes good, the flavors are fun and varied, and they can play around with exhalation of the vapor. It is marketed as a healthy, safe, and an all-natural alternative to smoking.  

Are Scarsdale teens vaping?
The short answer is "yes," although it is not known to what extent.
The National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) is a self-administered questionnaire given annually to middle and high school students in public and private schools around the country. In 2014, data from 22,000 students was evaluated and revealed a three-fold increase in the use of electronic cigarettes between 2013-2014 (from 4.5% to 13.4%) among both middle school and high school students.

There were several comments on the previous vaping article we published (including some posted months after its original publication) from people claiming to be 15 and 16 year olds discussing the safety of vaping. (These comments are posted anonymously and may not be from Scarsdale readers.) JD wrote, "I'm only 15...is it bad that I want a vape stick? I'm not into the nicotine just the vape [vapor] itself. I've seen people do tricks and I think they are really cool. It's practically sugar water right?" JD, then wondered, "...would it be safe for me to own one?" Similarly, Jasper R commented that, "...it can only cause sickness if you have a lot of nic [nicotine]. I'm a user...and I am only 16 and I see no bad side to them if they can keep me away from smoking Mary Jane or cigs. So what is the real bad side?"

Vaping advocates and vendors contend that vaping is a safe, tobacco-free way to quit smoking traditional cigarettes rather than as a newly adopted habit of non-smoking teenagers. 'Your mom' commented that (s)he is working on getting another disposable hookah pen, and that "...they are the perfect way to keep yourself away from a drug more harming," again, indicating that teens aren't using vape pens as an alternative to smoking cigarettes. The comments also lead one to believe that teens may be misinformed about vaping. "Mother of two" wrote, "...all it is, is flavored water vapor. It can also hydrate you. And since it's water vapor there's nothing harmful to your lungs."

How do teens gain access to vape accessories and liquids?
The laws around vaping and selling vape supplies vary not just by state, but by county and even city and town. For example, whereas Westchester County requires that a person be a minimum of 18 years old to buy vaping products at a store, in New York City buyers must be at least 21. Both the devices and liquids are available at convenience stores as well.

Is vaping safe? Is it dangerous?
The jury is out on this one. Studies are currently being done to determine the safety profile of e-cigarettes. In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, Joe Nocera discussed the debate on vaping, specifically the safety or detrimental effects of nicotine. He quotes Mitch Zeller, head of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, who said, "When nicotine is attached to smoke particles, it will eventually kill. But the same drug in a patch...is such a safe medication that it doesn't even require a doctor's prescription." The Center for Tobacco Products, a division of the FDA is now conducting more than 50 studies on e-cigarettes and will soon have regulatory authority over their sale and use.

Opponents of vaping say that the use of "teen/kid marketed flavors" are encouraging young people to vape before side effects are known. They also claim it's relatively unregulated so quality control is virtually non-existent. Proponents say the ingredients and the lack of second hand smoke make it innocuous and claim that vaping helps people quit smoking cigarettes or helps them avoid starting to smoke at all. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study showing that a significant amount of formaldehyde is inhaled when vaping at 5.0 volts. However, this study was widely criticized because it is unlikely that anyone would vape at this voltage as it burns the coils and gives the nicotine a bad taste. Many experts haven't gone as far as to say that vaping is harmful to teens, but do say that it is still an unknown potential hazard to developing brains and bodies.

Another concern about vaping is that smokers can put whatever they want into electronic cigarettes and sometimes add controlled substances. E-pens can be used to covertly smoke illegal substances, and since it can be quite easy to purchase the cigarettes for long-term use, whether online or with the help of an 18 year old friend, it makes using illegal substances that much easier.

I tried vaping.
In between preschool drop off and pick up, I went to White Plains Vapor on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains to learn more about vaping. Entering the store, I was engulfed by a haze in the atmosphere and found two people vaping. Michael, the owner, checked my ID with an app on his phone as he does with all people who look under 35 (I was flattered). To ensure the integrity of his business, Mike doesn't sell anything online. However, he told me that if kids want to vape, they'll use untraceable Amazon or other gift cards to purchase vaping devices and liquids online. Mike's angle is to sell vaping as a smoking alternative. "There's no tar, no smell, no ashes, no tobacco, it doesn't stain your teeth, there's no second hand smoke," he reported. "I smoked for 20 years and tried everything to quit; the patch, the gum, Wellbutrin...nothing worked until I tried vaping. I use liquid with the mid-range level of the nicotine," he added. Mike said he feels healthier and can climb stairs without becoming breathless. He has a wall of cigarette boxes with people's names on them and the date they replaced smoking with vaping. Mike thinks vaping is relatively benign, especially when compared to smoking traditional cigarettes. I asked him if he knows of any side effects and he mentioned that some people report dry mouth. He's safety conscious. "I always tell people that if they have kids, they need to keep the liquid and device high up." He was referring to an incident in upstate New York where a child drank the sweet e-liquid and died of nicotine poisoning.

At the tasting bar, I was served "pink bunny" e-liquid, which is marketed as "strawberry milk" to inhale while watching Saturday morning cartoons. All tasting samples are nicotine-free. I pressed the button on the device and inhaled the sweet vapor. I didn't cough and the vapor wasn't harsh to inhale or exhale. I could see immediately why teens would be vaping even if they weren't smokers. Mike assured me that whereas cigarettes have numerous cancer-causing ingredients, the atomized liquid of the vape-pen produces a simple and harmless vapor. Although Mike said his typical client is 35-50 years old, I can't imagine that "pink bunny" appeals to that age group.

As Mike's buddy who worked at the store blew a huge fog of vapor out of his mouth, I exited the store, happy to catch a breath of fresh air. I was not convinced that vaping is safe. A dull headache came on but I had no idea whether this was from vaping, breathing in the second-hand vapor or if I was dehydrated from an early morning run. Until the data proves that vaping is safe, teens should be made aware that inhaling unregulated ingredients isn't natural, and that vaping could become addictive.