TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced that a Passaic County doctor was charged with selling prescriptions for highly addictive prescription painkillers without a legitimate medical purpose.
, 65, who practices family medicine in Paterson, was indicted on a charge of second-degree unlawful dispensing of controlled dangerous substances. The indictment was handed up by a state Grand Jury in Trenton on Monday.
allegedly sold prescriptions for Percocet, a Schedule II opioid pain medication.
The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000.
Deputy Attorney General Fernando D. Maldonado presented the case to the grand jury. Detective Celeste Dowd coordinated the investigation.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Thompson noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.
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