NEW YORK — A doctor and his wife who appeared on the Bravo reality series “Below Deck” were indicted Thursday in New York on charges that they filled fake opioid prescriptions using the names of cast members from the show.
Urologist Francis Martinis and his wife, Jessica Martinis, of Fort Salonga, New York, were each charged with criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance by a physician and falsifying company records.
They appeared in state court in Riverhead on Long Island after their initial arrest in May. Both pleaded not guilty, their attorneys said. The couple were released without bail and are due back in court on January 25.
“Below Deck,” which premiered on Bravo in 2013, follows crew members and the passengers they serve aboard a luxury yacht.
The Martinises appeared in the 2019 spin-off 'Below Deck Mediterranean'. The following year, Francis Martinis also appeared in 'Below Deck Sailing Yacht'.
The couple's attorney, Peter Crusco, called the allegations bogus.
“My clients have pleaded not guilty and are presumed innocent and look forward to their day in court to clear their names,” Crusco said in a text message.
Prosecutors said Francis Martinis, 55, passed on prescriptions for oxycodone to pharmacies on Long Island with the names of “Below Deck” cast members listed as the alleged patients. Jessica Martinis, 38, then picked up the drugs and paid in cash, prosecutors said.
Jessica Martinis first raised alarms in January 2023 when she tried to fill a handwritten prescription for oxycodone in someone else's name, prosecutors said.
An investigation revealed numerous counterfeit oxycodone prescriptions written by Francis Martinis using the names of cast members from the reality show, authorities said.
None of the oxycodone was actually intended for the people named in the prescriptions, prosecutors said.
“Physicians are held to a high standard because they take an oath to uphold a set of professional ethical standards when they begin their careers,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. “The behavior that Dr. Martinis allegedly engaged in with his wife, not only violated this oath, but also the law.”
Frank Tarentino, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency's special agent in charge of New York, said: “These arrests are a reminder that a physician's illegal drug use can lead to irreparable harm, such as the overdoses and poisonings currently plaguing our nation. .”
A representative for NBCUniversal, Bravo's parent company, declined to comment.