Peter Wisniewski, Prescription Fraud, Maryland 2015

Greenbelt, Maryland - In a shocking case of medical malfeasance, 52-year-old physician Peter Wisniewski of Huntingtown, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of a controlled substance. The plea was announced by United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Nicholas DiGiulio.

According to Wisniewski's plea agreement, between March 2012 and April 2015, he wrote prescriptions for Oxycodone and Adderall in the names of three elderly patients but kept the drugs for himself. Wisniewski caused the pharmacy to fill the prescriptions, and he picked up the prescriptions without the knowledge or authorization of the patients in whose names he had written the prescriptions.

To conceal the scheme, Wisniewski created false entries in the medical files of the three patients in whose names he was writing the prescriptions. During the scheme Wisniewski obtained more than 8,000 Oxycodone pills written in the names of those three patients.

The guilty plea was made in a federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Wisniewski faces a maximum of three years in prison. In light of the facts of the case, the government agreed to recommend a sentence of three years of probation and a fine of at least $40,000, which will be due on the date of Wisniewski's sentencing. In addition, Wisniewski will voluntarily surrender his DEA controlled substances license and will not practice medicine for at least two years.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Calvert County Sheriff's Office for their work in the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leah J. Bressack and Lindsay Eyler Kaplan.

Wisniewski's sentencing has been scheduled for October 23, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm. The decision whether to allow Wisniewski to practice medicine at all in the future must be made by the state medical board.

The case highlights the ongoing problem of prescription fraud and the importance of vigilance in the medical community. As the investigation and prosecution of Wisniewski demonstrate, the consequences of such actions can be severe.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/physician-admits-writing-prescriptions-names-patients-obtain-drugs-his-own-use