US-based Guyanese doctor Noel Blackman was yesterday sentenced to 50 months in prison by New York Judge Joanna Seybert for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, a controlled substance.
The sentence is lower than the 57 to 71 months that was being sought by acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Bridget M Rohde, who felt that such a sentence would have been sufficient for the crime and to act as a deterrent for other doctors.
According to Long Island Business News, along with the 50-month sentence the court also imposed on Blackman three years’ supervised release and the forfeiture of US$536,200 in illegal proceeds.
The sentencing followed his guilty plea on August 24, 2016. Blackman was once Guyana’s Health Minister under the former PNC administration.
