Man from Albuquerque pleads guilty to federal armed robbery of medical products and drug charges

               ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Joseph Matney, 40, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court on Feb. 4 to armed robbery of a pharmacy, theft of medical products and possession with intent to distribute Oxycodone and Alprazolam.

              According to his plea agreement, Matney entered and robbed an Albuquerque pharmacy on Jan. 31, 2018. Matney, and a juvenile accomplice, held the employees at gunpoint and demanded opioid painkillers, anxiety pills and money from behind the counter. They fled with more than 2,500 pills before law enforcement arrived. On Feb. 12, 2018, law enforcement in Denver, Colorado, arrested Matney after a searching his vehicle and finding 1,600 of the stolen prescription pills and a firearm. 

              Matney is currently in custody pending sentencing. He faces seven to 30 years in prison.

              The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Albuquerque Police Department investigated this case with assistance from the Denver Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter J. Eicker is prosecuting the case.