‘Below Deck’ couple accused of stealing cast identities in drug scheme
Mr and Mrs Martinis are under fire for an alleged drug plot (drfrankmartinis/Instagram) A doctor[1] who was featured on the popular Bravo[2] reality TV show Below Deck has been accused of stealing the identities of his fellow cast members to buy prescription[3] drugs. Dr Francis Martinis, a urologist from Fort Salonga, New York, and his wife, Jessica Martinis, have been accused of using the personal details of others who appeared on Below Deck to create fake prescriptions for oxycodone.
Investigators told NBC News that their alleged drug scheme started to unravel after Ms Martinis went to a pharmacy[4] in Kings Park to pick up oxycodone with a bogus handwritten prescription. The outlet said the pharmacist had doubts that the prescription was real and called the police. Further investigations allegedly revealed that the doctor had sent dozens of prescriptions for oxycodone to different pharmacies around Suffolk County in New York over two years.
Mr Martinis was allegedly using the name of two Below Deck cast members on the prescriptions, that would then be picked up by his wife using cash, the outlet reports. The couple were both arrested back in May and were charged with eight counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and falsifying business records, law enforcement told NBC.
The couple appeared on Below Deck Mediterranian (drfrankmartinis/Instagram) It is unclear what the couple was doing with the prescription drugs once they obtained them.
The couple appeared in Suffolk Criminal Court on Long Island on Thursday morning. Peter A Crusco, the attorney representing the Martinis, said his clients pleaded not guilty. “The evidence will show the charges are bogus and cannot be substantiated,” he said to NBC News.
The couple gained a name for themselves when they appeared on Below Deck back in 2019 when they had their yacht trip filmed for Below Deck Mediterranian, then Mr Martinis appeared on the show again on Below Deck Sailing Yacht.
The show details the lives of the staff members aboard luxury yachts and how they deal with their high-status and very rich customers out at sea.
The Independent has contacted the couple’s attorney and the Suffolk County Police Department for comment.