Dr. Charles J. Gartland, 59, of Cochranville, Pennsylvania, is going down for a cold, calculated scam that bled health care programs and fed his own addiction. Gartland pleaded guilty today in federal court to one count of health care fraud and one count of obtaining possession of a controlled substance by deception, admitting he wrote 221 fraudulent prescriptions for powerful opioids under his family members’ names.
The scheme ran from September 2014 to August 2017, targeting WellSpan Health of York, PA and Medicare. The majority of the prescriptions—194 of them—were for 17,187 pills of Hydrocodone-Ibuprofen 7.5-200 mg. Other drugs included Oxycodone, Fentanyl, and Morphine. None were for legitimate medical treatment. Every pill was intended for Gartland’s personal use, outside the bounds of medical practice and federal law.
Gartland filled the prescriptions at five different pharmacies across York, Chester, and Lancaster Counties. He used the names of three family members, lying to pharmacists and insurers alike, making them believe the drugs were for others. The deception worked—WellSpan and Medicare paid the claims, defrauded of taxpayer-backed funds while Gartland fueled his habit.
The fallout is now in the hands of the court. U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Schwab released Gartland on supervised release pending a Pre-Sentence Report. No sentencing date has been set. The case was built by investigators from the DEA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, and the Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel is prosecuting. If the judge imposes the maximum, Gartland faces up to 10 years in prison for health care fraud and up to 4 years for obtaining controlled substances by deception—each carrying a $250,000 fine. But under federal sentencing guidelines, the final term will weigh the crime’s severity, Gartland’s history, and the need for punishment and public protection.
This case is a grim reminder: when a doctor turns dealer, the damage cuts deep—through public trust, taxpayer funds, and the opioid crisis that still grips Pennsylvania. Gartland didn’t heal. He exploited. And now, he answers for it.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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