August 22, 2023 – FRESNO, Calif. — Margarita Aispuro-Camacho, 46, of Fresno, was sentenced on Monday to 14 months in prison for illegally selling morphine and contributing to the death of her co-worker at the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court records, in May 2020, the police found the victim dead in an apartment in Clovis. A toxicology report confirmed the victim died from an overdose of morphine and other prescription drugs. Importantly, the victim did not have a prescription for the morphine.

Agents obtained text messages between the victim and Aispuro-Camacho that showed the victim bought various prescription drugs from Aispuro-Camacho over an extended period and that the victim bought morphine from her the day before the victim died. Shortly after the victim’s death, Aispuro-Camacho was fired from the IRS for other reasons.

Aispuro-Camacho ultimately confessed to the crime when confronted by agents. Aispuro-Camacho explained that she had been prescribed the morphine and that she sold it to make a few thousand dollars in extra spending money.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and Homeland Security Investigations. TIGTA is a federal agency that provides independent oversight of the IRS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton prosecuted the case.

Source: DOJ Release