Story by Ethan
On April 30th, 2026, the arrest of Richard Taubman, age 71, and Eric Taubman, age 33, was announced by Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. Richard Taubman and Eric Taubman were charged with 20 counts of Criminal Sale of a Prescription for a Controlled Substance or of a Controlled Substance by a Practitioner or Pharmacist as a C felony, three counts of Attempted Criminal Sale of a Prescription for a Controlled Substance by a Practitioner or Pharmacist as a D felony, and fourth-degree Conspiracy as an E felony. The arrest and charges against Richard Taubman and Eric Taubman were a result of an investigation handled by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, and New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.
According to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) received several reports through their tipline from various pharmacist employees in Queens, New York. The reports stipulated concern about suspicious numbers of opiate prescriptions being written by Richard Taubman. This defendant was a previously retired Great Neck obstetrician and gynecologist that reentered the practice early in 2022 at a non-surgical weight loss clinic in Islandia, Suffolk County. A preliminary investigation was launched that led to Richard Taubman’s ability to prescribe controlled substances was revoked. A multi-year joint investigation was initiated afterwards by the DEA and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office that included interviews, pharmacy record requests, and other unspecified evidence. This led to it being discovered that Richard Taubman wrote dozens of controlled substance prescriptions for multiple people without legitimate medical reason and outside of his practice.
It’s also alleged that Eric Taubman, Richard Taubman’s son, acted as an intermediary that provided his father with personal information and medication requests from friends and acquaintances. Richard Taubman would issue prescriptions for these individuals to various pharmacies in Queens, New York without performing any medical evaluations. Richard Taubman was able to electronically submit the prescriptions from his residence in Glenn Head while Eric Taubman allegedly would receive the payments. Hundreds of illegal prescriptions went out that included oxycodone-aceteminophen (a.k.a. Percocet), dextroamphetamine-amphetamine (a.k.a. Adderall), and alprazolam (a.k.a.Xanax). The illegal prescriptions were allegedly used by some individuals themselves, sold for profit, or even traded for cash and other drugs (ie. marijuana). Both Richard Taubman and Eric Taubman surrendered to Nassau County District Attorney detectives on April 30th, 2026.
The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Richard Taubman and Eric Taubman are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
