Ministry foundation at Shell Point agrees to settlement

By TIFFANY REPECKI trepecki@breezenewspapers com

A Fort Myers ministry foundation accused of violating the Controlled Substances Act by the U S Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida will pay $250,000 to settle the civil case

On July 31, the Middle District of Florida reported that The Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation has agreed to pay the settlement to resolve allegations that it violated the CSA by failing to maintain records as required The foundation facility is at 15051 Shell Point Blvd , Fort Myers

The ministry foundation is with The Village Church at S h e l l P o i n t , l o c a t e d a t t h e S h e l l P o i n t R e t i r e m e n t Community; it is an accredited church with The Christian and Missionary Alliance Shell Point's website states that its community is a nonprofit ministry of the alliance denomination

According to the U S Attorney's Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated an inspection of the foundation's facility on July 14, 2021, and determined that the foundation had committed 176 violations of the CSA They included failing to take a new inventory of all controlled substances on hand at least once every two years, failing to maintain records of the number of units acquired from other persons and failing to notify the DEA of a theft or loss within one business day of the discovery

“Scrupulous recordkeeping is essential to maintaining the CSA's closed system of distribution and preventing dangerous drugs from falling into the wrong hands,” Middle District U S Attorney Roger Handberg said in a prepared statement “We expect all DEA registrants, no matter their size, to be especially meticulous in their recordkeeping because the CSA and the welfare of the public demand it ”

The foundation reported that it “learned of pharmacy r e c o r d - k e e p i n g d e f i c i e n c i e s ” i n D e c e m b e r o f 2 0 2 1 “through internal processes,” according to a prepared statement provided by officials on Aug 2

“ U p o n s e l f - r e p o r t i n g t o t h e D r u g E n f o r c e m e n t Administration, an investigation occurred and fines were assessed as is normal course,” the foundation added

The U S Attorney's Office said the foundation relinquished its DEA registration on Feb 4, 2022

“Due to the complexity of regulatory compliance, the foundation chose to outsource pharmacy services and subsequently returned its DEA registration,” foundation officials said

Assistant U S Attorney Chad Spraker pursued the civil settlement According to the U S Attorney's Office, the result was a coordinated effort by the Middle District and DEA's Miami Field Division.

“DEA registrants are obligated to comply with the regulations set forth in the Controlled Substances Act, ensuring accurate inventorying, tracking and recordkeeping, as the failure to do so can lead to the diversion of controlled substances, which jeopardizes the safety and h e a l t h o f o u r c o m m u n i t i e s , ” M i a m i F i e l d D i v i s i o n Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter said in a prepared statement “ (The) DEA remains committed to working with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to hold registrants accountable and ensure these regulations are followed ”

The U.S. Attorney's Office reported that the claims resolved by the settlement were only allegations, and that there was no determination of liability in the case

“The organization cooperated fully, and the matter was resolved without any determination of liability,” foundation officials said. “The foundation remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of compliance and integrity in all operations ”