15 December 2023 , 22:54
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Former Below Deck chartered guests have been caught up in some serious drama off-screen as one couple was recently indicted arrested for criminal sale of prescription for a controlled substance by a practitioner and falsifying business records in the first degree.
Dr. Francis Martinis and his wife Jessica are facing legal trouble after allegedly using the names of former cast members from the show in order to fill out prescriptions for for opioids in New York. The pair were previously seen on the reality series back in 2019 on an episode of Below Deck Mediterranean and again in 2020 on Below Deck Sailing Yacht.
Guests on the series get five-star treatment as they are often seen tanning on the yacht, sipping on delicious cocktails, and eating gourmet meals on board.
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The couple were formerly charted guests on Below Deck (Suffolk County Police Department)
The couple are set to appear in court in January (Suffolk County Police Department)But now the pair's time in paradise is up and they are up against some very serious charges. The couple has been charged with four felony counts of criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance by a practitioner and four felony counts of falsifying business records, according to reports by The New York Post and a press release from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. The former guest stars were indicted in Long Island Court on Thursday after police were notified of their alleged scheme earlier this year.
Police say they first caught wind of their alleged illegal activity back in January after Jessica was reportedly seen attempting to fill a hand-written prescription with someone else's name for painkillers at a Long Island pharmacy. According to the Suffolk County Police Department, the pharmacist on duty denied the request and notified police as they found the request to be suspicious.
This call then sparked the Drug Enforcement Administration to open an investigation into the couple. Authorities are now reporting that the couple electronically transmitted several prescriptions to other pharmacies across the Long Island area under the names of multiple former Below Deck cast members even though none of the stars live on Long Island.
It was also reported that Jessica would allegedly pick up the painkillers from pharmacies and pay for the drugs in cash as to not leave a digital trail behind. After their recent indictment, the couple's attorney Peter A. Crusco told The Post that the pair “look forward to their day in court to clear their names" which is set to happen in January.