BALTIMORE, MD—A Rosedale woman was sentenced Tuesday to six years in federal prison for leading a drug trafficking and money laundering operation that distributed thousands of diverted oxycodone pills throughout the Baltimore region.
U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Terry Allen, 57, after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering. U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, announced the sentencing, along with officials from the FBI, DEA, Health and Human Services, and the Baltimore County Police Department.
The Investigation
According to her guilty plea, Allen was the leader of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated from 2022 to 2023. The investigation began when the FBI discovered a target of an unrelated investigation had paid Allen more than $270,000. Agents later learned that Allen was providing this individual with diverted prescription drugs, leading to a joint investigation with the DEA.
Allen’s DTO used a network of what are known as “pseudo-patients”—individuals who fake pain symptoms at “pill-mill” clinics to get prescriptions for controlled substances like oxycodone. The pseudo-patients would then give their prescriptions to DTO members in exchange for cash or pills.
The investigation, which included court-authorized phone and text message intercepts, revealed Allen’s direct involvement in distributing large quantities of oxycodone. Calls showed her openly discussing the drugs she had for redistribution and coordinating with her top supplier, who managed a dozen pseudo-patients. They would strategize on which clinics to use for prescriptions and how to pass urine screenings.
Search and Arrest
In May 2023, agents executed more than 30 search warrants, including one at Allen’s Rosedale home. During the search, Allen admitted to using pseudo-patients to acquire oxycodone for redistribution.
Authorities found approximately $39,380 in cash, drug ledgers, a calendar with pseudo-patient appointments, and a “distribution quantity” of various pills, including oxycodone, suboxone, and Adderall. They also found a handgun and a shotgun, which were linked to her drug activities.
Allen was arrested but was released on home detention. In August 2023, law enforcement learned she was still distributing oxycodone. A subsequent search of her home in September found two pseudo-patients’ pill bottles containing 200 oxycodone pills.
Money and Forfeiture
The investigation also uncovered Allen’s money laundering activities. A review of her bank records showed she received and spent more than $2 million from 2017 to 2023. She used peer-to-peer apps like Zelle and Cash App for her drug transactions.
The court imposed a forfeiture money judgment of $735,860 and ordered the forfeiture of her Rosedale home, which she had used for her drug operations and paid the mortgage on with drug proceeds. According to Prescription Drug Monitoring Program records, the conspiracy redistributed at least 3,000 kilograms of converted drug weight in oxycodone. The press release detailed the specific number of pills sold and the estimated revenue of $735,860 from these sales.
