A former guest of Below Deck Mediterranean, Dr. Francis Martinis, and his wife, Jessica Martinis, have been charged on multiple counts in a prescription drug scheme, including falsifying records and criminal sales. Allegations surfaced after Jessica attempted to fill a fake oxycodone prescription at a pharmacy earlier this year, leading to a police investigation. Prosecutors and state officials have condemned Francis Martinis’ alleged misuse of his professional medical position, and the couple have vehemently claimed their innocence and are preparing for a court trial.
Former Below Deck Mediterranean guests have been arrested for a prescription drug scheme, involving stealing the identities of cast members from the show, and charged with criminal sale of prescription for a controlled substance.
Former Below Deck Mediterranean guests João Franco, Jessica Martinis, Francis Martinis, and Hannah Ferrie have recently made headlines due to their arrest in connection with a prescription drug scheme that involved allegedly stealing the identities of several cast members from the hit Bravo series. Dr. Francis Martinis and his wife, Jessica Martinis, were charged on Thursday, December 14, on four counts of criminal sale of prescription for a controlled substance by a practitioner and four counts of falsifying business records, according to NBC New York. An investigation began earlier this year when Jessica went to a pharmacy in Kings Park, New York, in an attempt to fill a fake oxycodone prescription. The handwritten prescription prompted a pharmacist to call the police, which later revealed that Francis had sent dozens of prescriptions for oxycodone to Suffolk County pharmacies over a two-year period. According to the authorities, Jessica would pick up the prescriptions and pay in cash as part of the scheme. Several of the prescriptions, which were allegedly fake, were written under the names of two Below Deck cast members.
Francis and Jessica were arrested in May and charged with eight counts of criminal sale of controlled substances and falsifying business records. Before their legal issues, Francis and Jessica appeared on season 4 of Below Deck Mediterranean, which aired in 2019. Francis returned to the franchise as a guest on Below Deck Sailing Yacht one year later, and his social media feeds feature many photos of himself with cast members over the years.
Former New York Homeland Security Director Michael Balboni addressed the allegations on Thursday, telling NBC, “[Francis] abused the celebrity position that he had on that ship to take the identities of his crew members — if that is proven — and then use that to buy drugs, that is a common scheme for a common criminal. Prosecutors will want to send a message to all other physicians — you have special access to these drugs, you know how they work and if you do this you will be prosecuted.”
Francis and Jessica are scheduled to appear in court on January 25, 2024. They have been placed on supervised release by a judge. It remains to be seen what the outcome of this case will be as the legal process unfolds.
