Pharmacy owner pleads guilty

FORT MYERS — Jorge Otano, 53, the owner of St. Jude's Pharmacy in Cape Coral, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess pain killer oxycodone with the intent to distribute it illegally, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Otano also pleaded guilty to evading currency-transaction reporting requirements and money laundering. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney, the pharmacy made a significant profit by filling fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone by charging $4 to $12 per pill from August 2009 to Nov. 15, 2012. Otano's wife, Martha Otano, previously pleaded guilty for her role in the case and a federal judge sentenced her on July 21 to three years and one month in prison.