Bridgeville clinic owner admits drug distribution

The owner of a Suboxone clinic that at one point operated out of a Panera Bread franchise in Bridgeville admitted Tuesday to illegal distribution of drugs and health care fraud from 2013 through last year.

Terri C. Brown, 53, owner of Cherry Way, was indicted last year along with the medical director of the clinic, Mark R. Foster, 71.

Federal prosecutors said Ms. Brown and Dr. Foster unlawfully dispensed Suboxone, Adderall and Percocet to Ms. Brown and to others who had no medical need for it.

Ms. Brown also committed health care fraud for submitting fraudulent claims to Highmark and Medicaid through her clinic for payments to cover the costs of prescriptions.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Cessar, head of the U.S. attorney’s Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection unit, said that Cherry Way was operating out of a Panera Bread for a time before moving to Baldwin Street in Bridgeville. Patients arriving at the restaurant got their prescriptions without any exams or medical services.

Mr. Cessar said Ms. Brown obtained blank pre-signed prescriptions from Dr. Foster and filled out the patient’s name along with the drug and dosage. Suboxone prescriptions were written by Ms. Brown to herself and to another person identified only as “M.W.,” neither of whom was a patient of Dr. Foster. The doctor didn’t do a physical exam or a drug screening on them, Mr. Cessar said.

Ms. Brown also obtained prescriptions for Adderall for herself, M.W. and another person identified as “J.B.”

Mr. Cessar said Ms. Brown, along with M.W. and someone identified as “M.B.,” received the illegal prescriptions and filled them at area pharmacies, which billed insurance for the cost.

U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer will sentence Ms. Brown on Feb. 8. The case against Dr.