A rapper, widely followed on social media, previously under house arrest in Utah, has been apprehended for his purported involvement in a “large scale prescription fraud ring” in Cache County. NBA YoungBoy, born Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, was taken into custody on Tuesday, facing a total of 63 charges. These include possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person (a second-degree felony), pattern of unlawful activity (a second-degree felony), identity fraud (twenty counts of third-degree felony), forgery (twenty counts of third-degree felony), procuring/attempting to procure drug/prescription (twenty counts of Class-A misdemeanor), and possession of a controlled substance (one count of Class-B misdemeanor).
As outlined in the arrest report, the 24-year-old Gaulden allegedly participated in a scheme to unlawfully obtain promethazine with codeine. This substance, often combined with Sprite and/or alcohol to create “purple drank” or “lean,” is favored by many in the rap community, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Police allege that Gaulden, along with “many other individuals” not named in official documents, attempted to acquire the prescribed cough suppressant from multiple pharmacies in Cache County.
In one instance, Gaulden purportedly called in a prescription for a 74-year-old woman to a Hyrum pharmacy in September. He claimed to be a physician from the Provo area, providing legitimate medical credentials, including a valid DEA number and NPI number. However, suspicion arose when the pharmacist noticed discrepancies in the phone number provided and the clinic’s contact information.
Upon contacting the actual physician, it was revealed that he had not issued a prescription for a woman by that name. Same kind of incidents occurred at other pharmacies in Cache County. During one of these incidents, police state that two women picked up the prescribed drugs. Subsequently, they were detained as part of the investigation and later arrested for their alleged involvement in the “prescription fraud ring.”
The Cache County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the vehicle used by the women to collect the drugs was registered to Gaulden. Subsequently, Gaulden’s business manager reached out to the sheriff’s office to retrieve the impounded vehicle. During this exchange, the officer requested to speak directly with Gaulden. While conversing with him, the arresting officer overheard a suggestion, possibly from Gaulden himself, about inquiring regarding “the prescription that they picked up.”
Following further investigation and the discovery of similar instances involving fraudulent prescriptions across multiple pharmacies, a search warrant for Gaulden’s residence in Weber County was obtained and executed on Tuesday. The Cache County Sheriff’s Office collaborated with several agencies, including the FBI, the Secret Service, and the Layton SWAT team, in conducting the search.