BELLEFONTE – Dr.’s Larray Adams and Michael Fuentes had criminal charges against them bound over and their cases will now be put on the trial list.
According to the Centre County Court Administrator’s Office, Adams had a preliminary hearing yesterday, while Fuentes waived his right to a hearing. Adams had all charges held to court except a charge of receiving stolen property.
According to a report from the Office of the Attorney General, an undercover investigation into Adams and Fuentes’s medical practices began in January 2007, with a Confidential Informant working in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police.
The men were arrested on June 12.
Tom Corbett, attorney general, said in January 2007, the CI testified to police that – following a serious work-related accident in 2000 – he was prescribed pain medication and was taking it as prescribed.
According to the grand jury, the CI began to see Dr. Adams in 2001 or 2002. Adams raised the CI’s dosage of his Dilaudid prescription, and additionally prescribed Percocet and OxyContin.
Corbett said the three prescription drugs are all Schedule II narcotics with strict medical controls due to their high potential for abuse and the risk that abuse may lead to severe psychic or physical dependence.
The street value of OxyContin at the time of the investigation was approximately $10 for a 20-milligram pill, $30 for a 40-milligram pill, and $60 for an 80-milligram pill. The CI also stated that he could sell 100 80-milligram pills for $6,000.
Corbett said the CI would give Adams approximately $500 to $1,000 at a time, and estimates that Adams received tens of thousands of dollars over the three to four year period from the CI.
Corbett said the CI was upfront about his drug dependency and both Adams and Fuentes knew the extent of his addiction. In fact, both Doctors would use that against him by withholding prescriptions until the CI did something for them in return.
Adams is charged with seven counts prescribing outside accepted treatment principles, seven counts dispensing or prescribing to a drug dependent person, four counts willful dispensing of a controlled substance without proper labeling, nine counts drug delivery, five counts possession, one count criminal use of a communication facility, one count criminal conspiracy, one count Medicaid Fraud, two counts criminal solicitation to commit violation of sale or transfer of firearms, one count dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, one count refusal or failure to keep required records, and five counts obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation or fraud.
Fuentes is charged with seven counts prescribing outside accepted medical principles, seven counts obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation or fraud, seven counts dispensing or prescribing to a drug dependant person, one count drug delivery, one count criminal conspiracy, one count criminal use of a communication facility, and one count refusal or failure to keep required records
Both men are scheduled for pre-trial conferences on Sept. 20. Jury selection for their criminal trials is scheduled for Oct. 1.