CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In a grim reminder of the opioid crisis sweeping through West Virginia, Patricia Anne Carnes, 51, of Elkview, Kanawha County, pleaded guilty to federal drug charges today, according to United States Attorney Mike Stuart.
Carnes admitted to fraudulently ordering prescription pads from a printing company, using them to forge prescriptions in the name of a Charleston-area doctor. Between October 2016 and April 2017, she filled approximately 11 forged prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone, obtaining over 650 pain pills.
U.S. Attorney Stuart praised the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the Charleston Police Department for their investigation in bringing this criminal to justice.
The defendant now faces up to four years in federal prison when she is sentenced on May 9, 2018. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua C. Hanks is handling the prosecution, with Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presiding over the plea hearing.
This case is part of a broader effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat prescription drug abuse and trafficking. The office, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to shutting down pill mills and drug markets, and curbing the spread of opioids in communities across the region.
Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNews and @USAttyStuart.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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