Despite pleas that jail time would hurt her family, Nesconset's Joanne Connelly was sentenced to 26 months in prison Wednesday for illegally dealing oxycodone, an opiate.
Connelly told U.S. District Court Judge Sandra Feuerstein that she had gotten hooked on the painkillers after she hurt her back. Prosecutors said Connelly ended up selling hundreds of the pills.
According to Newsday, Connelly was apologetic in court.
"I am so very sorry for what I have done that I cannot put into words how ashamed and saddened I feel," Joanne Connelly, 48, of 167 Southern Blvd., said in remarks that were haltingly delivered through tears and sobs. "I realize from the events reported in the newspapers every day, the very grave consequences that arise from the abuse of the these pills."
Connelly was sentenced at the U.S. District Court in Central Islip.
The issue of illegal use of opiates in the Smithtown area has been a big concern in the community, especially given . The problem has sparked the creation of , a group that hopes to raise awareness for the drug epidemic.
At the same time, officials across the state are pushing for legislation that would create better tracking systems for dangerous prescription drugs, such as oxycodone.
