2 Georgia pharmacists charged with prescription fraud
BAXLEY, Ga. (AP) - Two separate Georgia pharmacists have been charged with fraud relating to drug prescriptions.
News outlets report Drug Enforcement Agency officials say 41-year-old Ray Dixon prescribed drugs to people under fake prescriptions and billed Medicare and Medicaid programs for them. The U.S. Department of Justice says Dixon also prescribed drugs to people without prescriptions.
In a separate investigation, authorities say 62-year-old Janice Colter filled a large number of prescriptions from "high-volume prescribers." Investigators say she falsified documents in response to a review of her dispensing history.
DEA official Robert J. Murphy says the busts come as the agency investigates the distribution of addictive substances in which some licensed practitioners prescribe opioids like "common drug dealers."
If convicted, the pharmacists face up to five years in prison.