CHILL PILL
D.A.: HE WROTE BOGUS SCRIPTS, FORGED SIGNATURES OF DOCS FOR OXYCONTIN
A Ridley Park chiropractor has been charged with writing fraudulent painkiller prescriptions for patients, including Percocet, Xanax and Oxycodone.
Marc Steven Persson, 40, of the 600 block of Academy Road in Swarthmore, is charged with six counts each of delivery and criminal attempt to deliver a controlled substance, as well as seven counts each of forgery and procuring a drug by fraud.
“Every day, opioids are killing our loved ones across the state, and the abuse of prescription drugs still remain a risk factor when it comes to heroin use and addiction,” said Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland in a release. “While the majority of practitioners here in Delaware County are law-abiding professionals who care deeply about their patients, the reckless and careless actions of Mr. Persson show a complete disregard for the well-being of his patients who he put in grave danger.”
Ridley Township officers were dispatched to Perssonal Health Chiropratic at 100 E. Chester Pike May 9, 2017, where they spoke to two of Persson’s employees, according to an affidavit of probable cause written by Ridley Detective Shawn McGee.
The employees said they became suspicious after getting multiple notifications from local pharmacies that Persson’s patients were presenting prescriptions that were being rejected and flagged as fraudulent, according to the affidavit.
Persson had previously been partners with a medical doctor who provided prescriptions for Persson’s chiropractic patients, according to the affidavit. The doctor left around March
2017 and another doctor came in for one day to fill the spot.
The affidavit states that the employees received notice from a local pharmacy April 7, 2017, that one of Persson’s patients had presented a prescription for 90 pills of
5 mg Percocet written on a pad belonging to the former partner, but signed by the second doctor. After reviewing the signature, the employees identified it as Persson’s handwriting, according to the affidavit. The doctor also confirmed he had not written the prescription, the affidavit says.
The employees were notified by another pharmacy May 9 that someone posing as the former partner had “called in” a prescription for another patient, but provided an incorrect Drug Enforcement Agency number for that doctor. That prescription was for Xanax and the nerve pain medication Gabapentin. The same patient had previously filled a prescription fraudulently signed by the replacement doctor for 120 pills of 5 mg Oxycodone, according to the affidavit.
At least two other patients were also able to fill allegedly fraudulent prescriptions for the narcotics Hydromorphone and Oxycodone-Acetomenaphine.
The employees said they recalled Persson specifically requested that they pull the charts for five patients April 6, 2017, including those identified in the affidavit.
McGee and Ridley Detective Sean Brydges spoke with Persson last May. During that interview, Persson at first stated that he had used his former partner’s prescription pad to provide the April 7 Percocet prescription, but had signed the prescription using his own name, according to the affidavit.
He allegedly said he believed it was OK for him to do that because the patient had received the same prescription from the second doctor before.
When presented with the prescription bearing the second doctor’s forged signature, Persson allegedly admitted that he had forged the signature and had fraudulently written or called in prescriptions for at least three other patients.
“Persson stated that he may have written/forged more, however, he could not recall how many prescriptions but stated there were more,” according to the affidavit.
Persson’s wife, also an employee of the practice, additionally told investigators that her husband had been writing or calling in fraudulent prescriptions after the doctors stopped working there, according to the affidavit.
Investigators interviewed one former patient who indicated he had seen a doctor at the chiropractic office in January 2017, who wrote him a prescription, but had not seen one there since March.
“There were no doctors writing the prescription, as soon as I would come in he (Marc Persson) would hand me my prescription and I wouldn’t ask questions, just think it was normal routine,” the patient said, according to the affidavit.
Detectives also interviewed both doctors. The former partner said he had requested that Persson return all of his prescription pads left at the business, but could not confirm that was done. The second doctor also said he had not given Persson permission to use his name, signature or DEA number, according to the affidavit.
Online court records indicate Persson was preliminarily arraigned Nov. 13 before Magisterial District Judge Philip S. Turner and released on $50,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3 before Turner.
Deputy District Attorney Sharon McKenna, chief of the Narcotics Unit, is prosecuting the case. It was unknown Wednesday whether Persson has an attorney. He did not respond to a call seeking comment.
“Every day, opioids are killing our loved ones across the state, and the abuse of prescription drugs still remain a risk factor when it comes to heroin use and addiction. While the majority of practitioners here in Delaware County are law-abiding professionals who care deeply about their patients, the reckless and careless actions of Mr. Persson show a complete disregard for the well-being of his patients who he put in grave danger.”
— Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland