Florida Woman Accused of Forging Prescriptions

A Florida woman must mount a criminal defense after being charged with eight counts of obtaining a prescription of a controlled substance through fraud in Jackson County after a pharmacy alerted law enforcement officials that a suspicious prescription for painkillers was passed on Oct. 8.

The Jackson County Drug Task Force was called to a Marianna pharmacy due to suspicions over a prescription for Hydrocodone. The task force compared the patient’s previous prescriptions to the suspect one and determined that all were forgeries. The alleged forgeries began in March and all were for various formulas of Hydrocodone. The police requested a search warrant for the woman’s residence and executed it on Oct. 8. During the search, several pill bottles were located along with documents supporting receipt of the medication. Blank prescription forms from a local hospital where the suspect works as a licensed nurse were also found.

The drug charges allege that the woman stole the blank prescriptions, filled them out in her own name or her husband’s, forged the doctor’s signature, and passed them to local pharmacies. A total of eight fraudulent prescriptions for approximately 400 pills have been identified. More charges may be added as evidence emerges, and authorities say that there may be more suspects involved.

A criminal defense attorney can help protect the rights of those who are accused of crimes, including validating search warrants and other measures used by police to gather evidence. If police do not follow proper procedures, evidence may not be used against defendants, so it is very important for those facing charges to understand their rights and to have advocates for holding law enforcement accountable in their investigation of cases.

Source: WMBB News, “Woman Charged with Writing Forged Prescriptions,” Ken McVay, Oct 9, 2012

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