Reno businessman gets 24 months in prison for drug ring role

RENO — A federal judge sentenced the manager of a Reno car dealership Monday to two years in prison for his role in a prescription drug ring.

Richard “Richie” West pleaded guilty in February, admitting that he had gotten pills from a Northern Nevada doctor because of chronic back pain and sold the extra pills to his alleged co-conspirators for them to sell from around November 2012 until his arrest in April 2016.

As a result, 12 other charges were dismissed.

West’s attorney David Houston said his client has served a total of 20 months so far including time served, and he expects West to be transferred to an outpatient rehab facility early next year.

Houston said West will likely serve the remainder of the sentence at the Washoe County Jail and serve 16 months of house arrest after completing his term.

Dr. Robert Rand, who prescribed the pills to West, was sentenced last month to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and drug distribution charges.

Under a plea deal, Rand admitted to recklessly prescribing the painkillers that killed former University of Nevada football player Michael Yenick.

Yenick, 33, died in October 2015, only a week after his mother had begged Rand to cut off the drugs she said her son had become addicted to.

Court documents show Rand also admitted to prescribing more than 23,000 oxycodone pills to West.