PHILADELPHIA, PA — Federal prosecutors have charged three medical professionals in connection with an alleged conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances through what investigators describe as a yearslong “pill mill” operation.
According to an indictment unsealed in federal court, Dr. Joseph P. DiRenzo Jr., 64, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey; Dr. Marc A. Matozzo, 56, of Woodbury, New Jersey; and physician assistant Joseph D. Norris, 62, of Philadelphia are charged with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances.
Prosecutors allege the defendants operated a voicemail prescription refill system from January 2020 through March 2025 that allowed patients to obtain refills for Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone and amphetamine, without interacting with a licensed prescriber. According to the indictment, some patients allegedly received prescriptions through the refill line for up to, and in some cases more than, one year without an appointment with a licensed medical provider.
DiRenzo and Matozzo are each charged with two counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. Norris faces the same two distribution counts, along with one count of making false statements related to health care matters.
According to prosecutors, the defendants allegedly continued prescribing controlled substances after receiving warnings from pharmacy benefit managers and insurers about dangerous prescribing patterns. The indictment further alleges that, after certain pharmacies refused to fill prescriptions, the defendants submitted them to other pharmacies or used another medical professional’s name in an effort to have the prescriptions filled.
Federal prosecutors also allege that some patients who obtained Schedule II controlled substances through the refill line suffered fatal overdoses and that the defendants continued operating the system after learning of those overdoses.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and attorneys with the Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Unit.
The indictment is part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a coordinated nationwide enforcement effort that resulted in criminal charges against 455 defendants, including 90 physicians and other licensed medical professionals, in cases alleging more than $6.5 billion in fraudulent claims and significant patient harm.
A federal indictment is an allegation. The defendants have not been convicted of the charges.
All suspects, arrestees, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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