Former Northeastern student Joshua E. Friedman pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court on a number of charges, including aiding in the armed robbery of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center pharmacy in Boston on May 24, 2001. Friedman was working as a co-op student at the hospital at the time of the incident.

Friedman allegedly provided two other men with detailed information about the pharmacy, explaining to them the layout and location of the narcotics storage vault, as well as the security provisions at the hospital.

He also pleaded guilty to illegally purchasing two handguns, at least one of which was used in the robbery, and driving the other two men to and from the scene.

The robbery resulted in “the theft of 3,000 tablets of the narcotic, OxyContin, as well as varying amounts of 12 other narcotic drugs, with a total street value estimated at “over $250,000,” according to the United States Department of Justice.

OxyContin is a potent painkiller that, when chewed, snorted or injected, can produce a strong, heroin-like high.

According to a report by The Northeastern News on Oct. 17, 2001, pharmacies had seen a rash of OxyContin robberies around the time of the incident involving Friedman.

At that time, Northeastern officials sent a letter to upper class pharmacy students working in pharmacies, warning them not “to be a hero” if they were victims of a robbery.

Friedman left Northeastern after the incident occurred and before any charges were filed. Vice President for Cooperative Education Lynn Lyford said she does not think that the federal charges will affect the co-op program.

“I think this is a reflection on the individual, it has nothing to do with the co-op program whatsoever,” Lyford said. “At any given time, there are two to three thousand students out on co-op. This is a regrettable situation that occurred.”

Sentencing for Friedman is scheduled for December 15, 2003. He faces up to 47 years in prison and a fine of $750,000.