Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Witness: "Everybody And Their Mother Knows You Did Wrong"

By Logan Beck
For BigTrial.net

Much like a teacher becoming suspicious of school children cheating on their spelling tests, pharmacies began to question the legitimacy of Dr. William O’Brien’s narcotics prescriptions. 

That's the story Bernard Varallo, a cooperating witness for the government, told a jury yesterday during the ongoing "Pill Mill" trial of Dr. O'Brien in federal court.


According to Varallo, a co-conspirator who has already pleaded guilty, patients were unable to “cash the scrips” or “fill the prescriptions” without other prescriptions such as anti-constipation and anti-inflammatory medication to offset the narcotics.


Varallo told the jury how on Labor Day weekend in 2014, the alleged conspirators in the Pill Mill ring met with their wives at Varallo’s Wildwood area restaurant, Io E Tu. At the meeting, Varallo said, he told Dr. O’Brien that Angela Rongione, his medical assistant and office manager, was causing “too many problems” for the group, and that he needed to fire her.


Three months later, that's just what the doctor did.

Like Dr. O'Brien, Varallo also filed for bankruptcy.

During cross examination, O’Brien questioned Varallo’s bankruptcy claims, asking him to list his assets.

According to Varallo, he owns 12 houses in Wildwood, two homes, one left to his mother, two garages, and a restaurant.


“Are you still in debt?” O’Brien asked.


Varallo told the jury that he used the money he made from the pill mill scheme to begin paying off his debts. 

“We [Varallo and O’Brien] both did it because of greed,” Varallo said. “We both did it to get out of the hole.”


Varallo claimed that O’Brien would write up to three prescriptions at a time, backdating the “scrip” if he had to. O’Brien, however, denied that accusation.


“Now you’re just playing stupid,” Varallo said.


“Who’s playing stupid?” O’Brien said.


Judge Quiñones broke up the discussion by telling both the witness and the defendant to take a deep breath.


The government's next witness was Angela Rongione, 31. 

Rongione pleaded guilty to crimes associated with the pill scheme, and is awaiting sentencing. During her testimony, she described the relationship between O’Brien another alleged co-conspirator, Michael “Mikey” Thompson, as “buddy buddy.”


Rongione admitted to selling Oxycodone for $16 a pill, and also selling prescriptions written out to her father. She also described some of the hijinks that the feds say routinely transpired at Dr. O'Brien's office.


Rongione recalled an unidentified patient in O’Brien’s office who forgot to sign in one day. When Rongione went back to the examination room, she saw the patient sitting there in her bra and underwear.

The patient immediately covered up when Rongione walked in.


“There was no medical reason for her to be in a state of undress,” Rongione told the jury.


The feds say that Dr. O’Brien was routinely exchanging narcotics prescriptions for sex.


Rongione got fired on the grounds that she was a few minutes late to their Monday staff meetings.


Rongione said she was presented with a severance package of $1,000, and a brief continuation of treatment for herself and her 8-year-old son.

Rongione was also a patient at the Pill Mill.


She alleged that O’Brien said that if she didn’t sign the package, she would be “fucked with unemployment and wouldn’t get a damn thing.”

That upset Rongione.


“At first, I told him to go fuck himself,” she said.


Despite her distress, she agreed to the severance package. A short time later, she returned to the office for refills on her prescriptions, and the doctor tried to lowball her on her severance.

O’Brien, she said, offered her $500, after she accused him of leaving her high and dry right without pills before the holiday season.

Her response, she told the jury, was "Sure, why not.” 

But then the doctor made her an offer that she refused.


According to Rongione, the doctor asked her, “How about a blow job?”

Her response, she told the jury, was, “You can keep your money.”


During cross examination, O’Brien asked Rongione whether she was testifying under the influence of her medications.

Rongione admitted to taking a percocet at 7 a.m., which she said had worn off.


“Are you under the influence of percocet now?" the doctor asked. "Did you take a percocet during the break?”


 In addition to questioning her drug habits, O’Brien asked Rongione if she had sexual relations with other alleged conspirators such as Sam “Sammy” Nocille or Joey Mitchell. 

She said no. 

Then, Dr. O’Brien calculated how much money Rongione made a month with her paychecks and the money she made from selling the prescriptions.

It came out to approximately $10,000 a month, the doctor said.

He repeatedly asked her to multiply the figures, to which she responded, “You do the math, I’m not good with numbers.”


In the end, Rongione said she pleaded guilty because she did what she had to do for her kids. She said she also wanted Dr. O’Brien to “quit dragging this on.”


“Everybody and their mother knows you did wrong,” she told the doctor.

18 comments

  1. Berni. Wtfk? UNBELIEVABLE this cat who i known my entire life made ALOT of money off O'Brien and this mtfker knew it all was about to go down so he cooperated and is doing no time. He should be a co.defendant as well.He should be right there with 🍅 Thompson. He was gettin that much$$$. It would take ballz for him to stay in s.p. betta geta knew identity berni.aka weeble wobble.lmfbo

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  2. Didn't no he wasn't a co def

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  3. Been cooperating whole time

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  4. They never arrested the fat fk. Eribodi else woke to a real rude awakening.not 2justify any of um.to show you how real i am one of the co dfnds is my blood. Sad thing is my sympathy goes to the doc. They luv ya when you got somthin they want. But when it goes bad weres the loyalty?? I undastand he luvd woman,who duznt otha then a homo.But they luvd him when he had somthin they fkn wanted. Hope he gets off easy.Tell you what if i was gettn scrips off um&got jammd,I'd be testifying for the defense.Makes me fkn sick. You wunna be tuff guys,you think yur this&that and because O'Brien aint a connectd guy makes it that much easier to sing. Nobodys commin for yur fam.strait pSsys.

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    1. Sgs, well said...

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    2. Been saying same shit. Same with petey. Use ratted and testified. They not rats cause doc not connected but what if a non connected junkie ratted on them they be in so tellng everyone.petey been getting his neighborhood high since the 90s and He a rat, Bernie a rat and the dude who prob did the least amount of dirt gonna a do time while fat boy and mob/biker wannabe should do more time then the doctor. Since when are there rules to ratting?

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  5. What happend to the rest of Peter Marrandino's testimony? one of the main witnesses and no details?

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  6. Sgs you should get your facts straight before you go running your mouth I'm a long time friend of Bernies and he did what he had to so that all the ppl he had going to the doc didn't get in trouble he took the hit for a lot of ppl. And he went to them before they came to him and that was after they came and got those other cats that was involved. I think if you had any ballz you would make your comments to his face and stop hiding behind the internet bc Bernie is still in SP but you hide bc you know that he would make you weeble wobble. And just like Bob Barker said come on down

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    1. Friend my facts are straighter then bernies kankles.WTFK did he do for anybody other then himself.Just stop your talkn stupid. Why did everybody elses door get ripd off other then his.He took a hit for alotta people? Your on fkn drugs. This is most likely weebles fam or betta yet his wife stickn up for him..i can understand that just a word 4the wise.what goze around comes around.theres a time,place for everything friend..

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  7. Your right, it is sad that they're all against obrien, they would all be nothing without him. They would all still be facing repos and shut off notices and be behind on their rent like most of them were. They were all tuff guys on the street, they felt like they had power because people went to them during a time of need and you think they would all stand behind the one person who made it possible. They're losers, all of them, always have been, always will be. They all forgot where they came from. None of them better even think they will be safe to come back to the neighborhood, my guess is that chalie will because he thinks he's invincible. He don't realize that actually no one likes him, they either fear him or need him for some reason or another. This whole trial is a joke. They were all big ballin in Vegas, moving out of the hood, look at them now. Did they not think this would happen? Stupid.

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    1. If this isn't the truth I don't know what else is! Their kids didn't know what Christmas was until they met O'Brien. Greed. Greed. Greed! The lowest of all low fucking rats.

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  8. Anonymous you & Sgs are the losers bc all Your doing is hiding behind the internet and running your mouth get a life and get off the welfare and get job

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    1. And your mad that the truth is being said about the rats that you obviously have feelings for. It may be anonymous but your family members/ partner/ friend is a rat when he wanted to act like a tough guy on the street acting like a bad boy. I'm not committing any crimes or rattin on any1 so I can speak on it if I like to. & im employed by the Phila airport. Proud employee for over 14 years now. Thank you, Friend.

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  9. Bernie been a fat rat a long time informer

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