A doctor in New York was accused of selling prescriptions for oxycodone without providing medical documentation or a medical exam. The New York physician allegedly illegally sold the painkiller prescriptions to two patients. According to the attorney general, the man was taken into custody at his office in Long Island and arraigned on two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance.
The doctor also has an office in Queens, however, where he was allegedly selling oxycodone prescriptions without providing medical documentation or a medical exam. He supposedly charged $250 or more for each painkiller prescription that he sold, and prosecutors allege that he made more than $1.5 million in two years illegally selling prescriptions. The drug crime allegedly occurred between November 2012 and March 2013.
The Rockville Centre police reportedly arrested one of the man’s patients. Shortly thereafter they began a year-long investigation in which several undercover police officers posed as patients and bought prescription painkillers. Oxycodone is just one of many highly addictive opiates. According to the man’s attorney, the doctor has helped many patients, and the charges are shocking. If the doctor is convicted of his criminal charges, he could get up to 15 years in prison. He could also have to pay fines and fees as well.
A criminal defense attorney might be able to help the doctor in fighting his charges. An attorney might question the validity of the evidence that the prosecution presents and use the doctor’s reputation as a medical practitioner to attempt to sway a judge or jury. However, even if an attorney can’t get the doctor’s charges dismissed, he or she might be able to negotiate a more lenient sentence with the prosecution.
Source: NBC New York, “Long Island Doctor Charged in Drug Case“, July 30, 2013