The mayor of Bridgeport, West Virginia was recently indicted on federal charges of dispensing prescription pain medication outside of the scope of his pharmacy practice.

Mayor Mario Blount was charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute Schedule II controlled substances, distributing oxycodone, and failure to report filling prescriptions. In addition to his duties to the city, Mayor Blount works as the chief pharmacist at Best Care Pharmacy, in the Weston location. Authorities stated that they "became aware" of some irregularities in the way Blount was filling prescriptions.

They then conducted searches, which led to more investigations as to whether Blount was engaging in illegal activity. These investigations were done in cooperation between the Greater Harrison County Drug Task Force and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

In their 10-month long investigation, they found that over the course of three years, Blount allegedly dispensed as many as 11,000 oxymorphone and oxycodone pills. In addition to Mayor Blount, two other individuals were charged with conspiracy. If Mayor Blount is convicted, he faces a potential sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy and distribution, and as many as four years for failure to report a prescription charge.

The Federal Sentencing Guidelines will determine the extent of the sentence, based on Mayor Blount's prior criminal history, if any, and the seriousness of his offense. Although following the Federal Sentencing Guidelines is no longer mandatory, many judges and prosecutors still give the Guidelines weight in their decision-making.