Nurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty for Writing Fraudulent Fentanyl Prescriptions
The case is part of a conspiracy to illegally distribute fentanyl on the streets of Buffalo, NY.
Nurse practitioner Brandon Coburn, 34, has plead guilty to drug-related charges for writing fake prescriptions for fentanyl, WKBW Buffalo radio reported.
Coburn has also admitted to his role in a conspiracy that federal investigators said caused fentanyl to be sold on the streets in Buffalo, NY.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has emerged amid the country’s opioid epidemic. It can be 50 times more potent than heroin and can be deadly even in small doses. Currently, drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States.
The Drug Enforcement Administration stated that Coburn is one of several defendants charged in a prosecution alleging that he provided fraudulent fentanyl prescriptions to other defendants over a 5-month period that ended in April of 2015, according toThe Buffalo News.
Between 2013 and 2015, at least 5 individuals filled the fraudulent prescriptions to sell on the streets. Since then, 5 people have been convicted for their part in the case.
Coburn is to be sentenced in August by US District Judge Richard J. Arcara. If found guilty, he will face a recommended prison sentence of up to 11 years.
According to prosecutors, Coburn had previously surrendered his medical license in Arizona for misconduct and improper professional practice.
