Florida Criminal Attorney Blog
A joint investigation conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Ft. Myers Regional Operations Center and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in August resulted in the arrest of a Collier County Corrections Corporal and his wife on numerous charges of prescription drug offenses.
Agents arrested the 44-year-old Fort Myers woman on 23 counts of obtaining controlled substance by fraud and two counts of principal in the first degree for obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. Her husband, a 29-year-old Correctional Corporal for the
Collier County Sheriff’s Office was arrested on two counts of obtaining controlled substance by fraud and two counts of principal in the first degree for obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.
The investigation apparently began in January 2012 after the FDLE received information from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office that the alleged suspects were fraudulently obtaining numerous controlled substances at pharmacies in Lee and Collier counties.
Police claim that the woman fraudulently called in prescriptions and/or refills for Xanax, Vicodin and Ambien into various pharmacies for herself and her husband while she was employed at Advanced Medical Center in Naples.
The woman was booked into the Lee County Jail while her husband was booked into the Collier County Jail.
Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud is a third-degree felony in Florida. Fraudulently obtaining medical prescriptions can carry very serious consequences, including multiple years in prison. In order to prove this crime, prosecutors in the state of Florida must prove that the controlled substances were obtained through misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge.
There are many ways to fraudulently obtain medical prescriptions, some of which include:
• Falsifying Prescriptions
• Altering Prescriptions
• Counterfeiting Prescriptions
• Impersonating a Doctor
• Stealing Blank Prescription Pads
• Using One Prescription to Obtain Multiple Refills
• Visiting Multiple Doctors for Medical Prescriptions, also known as “Doctor Shopping”
Anyone charged with Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud should immediately consult with a criminal defense lawyer. In most cases, prescription drug crime offenders are suffering from an addiction problem that requires rehabilitation. A Lee County Criminal Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton can work with the prosecution to persuade them to drop any unnecessary charges so that the accused can get the help he or she needs.
A Collier County Criminal Defense Lawyer at Whittel & Melton can review your case and help you understand all of your legal options. If you have been charged with Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud, please contact us immediately online or call 866-608-5529 for a free consultation. We can assist with your defense in both Lee and Collier Counties, including the communities of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Sanibel, Naples, Marco Island, Everglades City, Immokalee and the surrounding areas.
Photo credit: ep_jhu / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND