Doctor gets 30 months in Silk Road drug case
A former Delaware doctor who aided her fiancée in selling drugs on a black market website was sentenced to 30 months behind bars on Tuesday.
Alexandra P. Gold was also sentenced by Judge Sue L. Robinson in U.S. District Court of Delaware to three years of supervision upon her release from federal prison.
Gold was arrested with her fiancée and fellow gynecologist Olivia Bolles in November 2013 near their Four Seasons neighborhood in Glasgow.
The couple, who completed four-year residency programs at Christiana Care, were accused of using their home as a base to conduct illegal drug sales on the website Silk Road. Federal agents in Florida tracked shipments of drugs bought on the site to Delaware.
Gold, who helped Bolles package drugs like Xanax, oxycodone and Adderrall in candy packages, pleaded guilty in June to maintaining premises for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute drugs.
At her sentencing Tuesday, Gold, through tears, apologized to her family, friends and society for the crime. She said even though she will never again work as a doctor, she hopes to put her skills to use and rebuild her life when she gets out of prison.
"All I can do is say 'I'm sorry' and live with that myself," she said.
The defense and prosecution both said Gold was heavily influenced by her relationship and played a lesser role than Bolles in the drug sales.
In light of that, Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Weede asked the judge to sentence Gold below the guideline of 37 months to 46 months of incarceration.
"But for Ms. Bolles Alexandra Gold would not be here," Weede said.
The judge agreed.
"You allowed an abusive relationship to control parts of your life," Robinson said to Gold.
Assistant Federal Public Defender Daniel I. Siegel praised the judge's decision and prosecutor's recommendation after court.
"The government made a very humane recommendation and we appreciate them considering all the facts," Siegel said.
Bolles was sentenced in October to five years in federal prison. The judge ordered the two to serve their prison sentences in separate facilities.