PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Federal authorities have charged dozens of medical professionals in a massive opioid takedown totaling more than $800 million, and several doctors from the Delaware Valley have been charged.
The expansive investigation involves seven federal districts, 3.25 million opiod pills and 48 defendants arrested.
Dr. Timothy Shawl of Garnet Valley, Dr. Neil Anand of Bensalem, nurse Viktoriya Makarova of Philadelphia and about a dozen others were indicted with "unlawfully distributing controlled substances" and related offenses.
U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain says some were handing out "goody bags" of pills so they could bill Medicare and insurance companies, while other doctors gave patients the drugs without ever seeing them.
"All of them were involved in the illegal prescribing of opioids or forging prescriptions for opioids," he said.
McSwain says the medical professional preyed on those who are addicted for cash.
"If anybody mortgages their morals by doing that, they are going to pay and they are going to suffer," he added.
McSwain says the investigation continues.
