Terri C. Brown, Unlawful Distribution of Prescription Drugs, Pennsylvania 2024

PITTSBURGH, PA. – In a shocking turn of events, a suburban Pittsburgh resident has been sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment for her role in the unlawful distribution of prescription drugs and health care fraud, according to a federal court ruling.

Terri C. Brown, 53, of Morrow Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241, was handed down the sentence by United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer. Brown, the owner and operator of Cherry Way, a Suboxone clinic in Bridgeville, PA, conspired with her co-defendant, Mark Foster, the medical director at Cherry Way, to create and submit unlawful prescriptions for Suboxone, Adderall, and Percocet.

According to information presented to the court, Brown and Foster conspired together to unlawfully dispense those controlled substances to Brown and other individuals. Brown also pleaded guilty to a charge of health care fraud for allegedly submitting fraudulent claims to Highmark through Cherry Way, covering the costs of the unlawfully prescribed Suboxone, Adderall, and Percocet.

Brown was ordered to pay $4,845.24 in restitution as part of her sentence. The investigation leading to the filing of charges was conducted by the Western Pennsylvania Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit (OFADU), a collaborative effort between federal and state law enforcement agencies.

The Western Pennsylvania OFADU has investigated and prosecuted more corrupt healthcare professionals than any other U.S. Attorney’s Office in the country. The unit combines the expertise and resources of federal and state law enforcement to address the role played by unethical medical professionals in the opioid epidemic.

Agencies involved in the Western Pennsylvania OFADU include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General – Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General – Bureau of Narcotic Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office – Criminal Division, Civil Division, and Asset Forfeiture Unit, Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General, Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations, U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Office of Inspector General, and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Licensing.

Brown’s sentencing marks a major victory for law enforcement agencies in their efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and protect the public from corrupt healthcare professionals.

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