Pharmacist, Former Mayor Gets Prison Time for Illegally Dispensing Painkillers

A former mayor of a West Virginia town wasn’t in the news for a ribbon-cutting ceremony or participating in a council meeting. Instead, the ex-mayor and registered pharmacist was sentenced to prison for illegally dispensing thousands of prescription pain pills, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Mario Blount, 52, was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison on February 4, 2015. He will also have to forfeit $15,000 in cash.

Blount had been the mayor of Bridgeport, West Virginia, and was a registered pharmacist at several pharmacies, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Federal authorities discovered that Blount had illegally sold around 11,000 oxycodone and oxymorphone pills between 2011 and March 2014. In October 2013, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided 4 of the pharmacies where Blount worked and found evidence that he was selling the pills “without a medical reason,” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

During Blount’s hearing, the former mayor and pharmacist apologized to his family and said he made a mistake. The prosecuting attorney and judge were quick to point out that this was not a 1-time error, according to WDTV.com.

Blount had pleaded guilty in September 2014, but he was not the only person implicated in the crimes. Angela Davis and her daughter, April Davis, were prosecuted for their involvement in distributing Blount’s drugs, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The 2 women have pleaded guilty to trafficking charges, according to WVNSTV.com.