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NORRISTOWN – Authorities have filed charges against four doctors for writing illegal prescriptions for opioids, fraud and other violations.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele and national, local and federal law enforcement officials held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss various criminal charges against the four doctors in the area.
Laurent I. Miller, 48, whose medical practice is in Hatfield, is charged. Brian C. Keeley, 61, whose medical practice is in Ambler; Joseph F. Cipriano, 56, whose medical practice was out of his home in Norristown, and 59-year-old Joseph M. Rybicki, whose medical practice is located in Lower Moreland.
"The four accused we're talking about today do not sell drugs in a car or around the corner, they're wearing white coats, they're doctors, the four doctors we're talking about here today." They did not do anything wrong, were peddling poison, "said Steele.
Prosecutors said Miller, arrested on Wednesday, practiced medicine at 1000 Walnut Street in Hatfield and was charged with corrupt organization, 31 counts of unlawful prescription, 18 counts of prescription to an addict and criminal use of means of communication.
Police said an investigation had revealed that drug addicts and traffickers were attracted to Miller's practice after prescribing large amounts of controlled substances to patients with little or no other medical treatment.
In addition, investigators found that nine of Miller's patients had died of overdoses. Police pointed out that, although most died of a combination of drugs – including street drugs, people had received prescriptions from Miller at the time of their death.
Prosecutors allege that in some cases, Miller would issue single prescriptions of more than 500 opioid painkillers and that he would prescribe medication without evaluating patients. The investigation also revealed that several drug traffickers had obtained narcotics from Miller, police said.
Miller was arrested on September 12 and released on bail of $ 100,000.
Joseph Cipriano, who ran a practice at 905 DeKalb Street in Norristown, was also charged. He was charged with two counts of bribery, two counts of trafficking in illegal proceeds, eight counts of social fraud, three counts of insurance fraud, eight counts of illegal prescription and eight heads of addicted people.
Police said that Cipriano, arrested on July 18, had prescribed large amounts of narcotics to several patients in exchange for nude photographs and other sexual favors.
He is accused of prescribing drugs that are often abused, including oxycodone, Adderall, benzodiazepines and promethazine cough syrup. Patients explained how they would contact Cipriano through various social media platforms to request medications and would distribute them electronically or leave them in a mailbox.
The police further alleged that Cipriano charged Medicaid with several office visits for a patient who was incarcerated at the time and unable to make office visits.
Cipriano was released on bail of $ 200,000.
Brian C. Keeley, whose practice is at 10 Cavalier Drive in Ambler, has been charged with corrupt organization, proceeds of unlawful activities, 48 counts of unlawful prescription, three charges of insurance fraud and four counts of fraud.
Police said that for months the infiltration authorities had discovered that Keeley was providing drugs for cash.
A confidential informant was able to obtain prescriptions for Xanax, Adderall, Ambien and Percocet by informing the doctor of what to prescribe, police said. Prosecutors say the price of narcotics was based on the length of the prescription.
In addition, the police reported finding unsafe and non-sterile conditions in the closet, including carpets stained with animal droppings and injectables for patients and improperly stored medical products in a refrigerator with decaying feed.
Keeley was released on bail of $ 50,000.
Police also accused Joseph Rybicki, whose practice is located on Grasshopper Road in Lower Moreland. He was charged with 13 counts of acquisition of controlled substances by fraud, 15 counts of unlawful orders and one count of trafficking in illegal products.
Police said his wife, Anne Rybicki, was also involved in medical practice and will face criminal charges.
Prosecutors allege that Rybicki began providing patients with hundreds of narcotics prescriptions in the mail in exchange for a monthly fee. According to police, with the help of his wife, he would send prescriptions without ever seeing patients. He is also accused of having written opioid prescriptions for his own use and of having issued prescriptions on behalf of his daughter to conceal it.
He was released on bail of $ 50,000.
As a condition of bail, the four men are not currently practicing, the authorities said.
"Unfortunately, I anticipate that there will be others, we are actively investigating other doctors who are coming in. They are coming to us mainly through counseling – a family member who is coming in. worried about the impressive number of pills being prescribed or a concerned citizen who has evidence that the doctor sells prescriptions to drug addicts or resellers, "Steele said." These tips help launch an investigation. I must thank the people of Montgomery County for helping their community stay safe by sharing their knowledge with law enforcement. "
Residents are able to report suspicious drug activities on the Montgomery County website by visiting: https://www.montcopa.org/FormCenter/District-Attorney-3/Report-Illegal-Drug-Activity-34
The Montgomery County Detectives Bureau Narcotics Investigation Team, Liberty Mid-Atlantic HIDTA, Narcotics Administration Working Group, Hatfield Township Police Department, Department of Abington Township Police, Norriton East District Police Department Police Department, United States Department of Health and Human Services Investigations Bureau and Pennsylvania Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation.
"If you are a doctor and you provide scripts to street vendors, or if you illegally prescribe drugs to drug addicts, you must be wary of the four doctors we are talking about today and who we do not know. We have not finished surveys, "said Steele.
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