A Tucson drug ring allegedly used prescription pads stolen from doctors to obtain more than 27,000 narcotic pills, officials said.
Ring members forged about 175 prescriptions, mostly for the painkillers Percocet and Oxycodone, before federal agents arrested them Dec. 2, according to an indictment filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
The ring forged the signatures of at least five Tucson doctors and presented the prescriptions at about 50 Tucson area pharmacies, officials said.
"At its root, this is a case of identity theft. The defendants used the good names of honest physicians and acted as common drug dealers," said Paul K. Charlton, U.S. attorney for Arizona, in a prepared statement.
Arrested were Titis Tyrone Shack, 40; Don Durand Harper, 38; Kimberly Anne Thompson, also known as Kimberly Brown, 36; and Michele Nicole Holloman, 31, all of Tucson.
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The federal indictment charges that between June 2002 and last November the four conspired to commit health care fraud; drug possession with intent to distribute; drug possession by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception and subterfuge; and fraud in connection with identification documents and information.
Officials would not say what led to the joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI.
But in court papers, federal officials said they were told Shack would pay a young woman $200 for each pad of prescription blanks.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the ring obtained more than 27,000 pills and resold them for $3 to $5 each.
An attorney for one of those arrested would not discuss specific allegations but downplayed the government's case.
"My client has been a resident of Tucson over 24 years," said David Lipartito, who represents Shack. "He supports his family and has strong connections to the community and looks forward to being vindicated through the legal process."
One source told investigators that a woman had access to patient information, including addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and insurance information. Agents reported they later verified that she worked in the pharmacy department of an insurance company.
Prosecutors also charged that the four committed health-care fraud by using the forged prescriptions to get insurance co-payments for the drugs.
