Police in Sarasota, FL, announced the arrest of a 49-year-old Bradenton medical assistant accused of writing and submitting dozens of fraudulent prescriptions over a two-year period.
Kelly A. Gaffney is facing 241 felony charges and 26 misdemeanors, including fraud, trafficking in oxycodone, trafficking in morphine, criminal use of personal identification, and possession of prescription blanks. She is being held at Sarasota County Jail on $360,000 bond. The press did not name an attorney for her.
According to Sarasota police, Gaffney was a medical assistant for an unnamed doctor in Bradenton. The fake prescriptions she allegedly submitted at a pharmacy in Sarasota were from her employer, but she wasn’t a patient at the doctor’s office. Her employer reportedly looked at her prescribing profile after discovering that some prescriptions may have been stolen. Once she realized Gaffney was responsible, the doctor informed the police.
“The prescriptions were from Gaffney’s employer, but Gaffney was not an established patient with her employer,” Genevieve Judge of the Sarasota Police Department told the press. “The doctor, who Gaffney worked for, accessed her own prescribing profile from the Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring database after realizing that prescriptions may have been stolen.”
Investigators determined Gaffney started stealing blank prescription slips from her workplace in April 2018. She stole prescription forms for her and her son every month, according to police. Surveillance footage from a Sarasota pharmacy reportedly showed her using the forms to fill a prescription and later pay for drugs.
Over a two year period, Gaffney allegedly obtained more than 5,100 oxycodone pills, 2,700 morphine pills, and 1,530 lorazepam pills. She was arrested at a pharmacy by undercover detectives on April 13 and charged with multiple counts of drug trafficking and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. Several more charges were added on April 28, including:
- 116 counts of Obtaining or Attempting to Obtain by Fraud
- 116 counts of Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information
- 26 counts of Possession of RX Prescription Blanks
- 3 counts of Trafficking in Morphine
- 3 counts of Trafficking in Oxycodone
- 3 counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance
Anyone accused of drug crimes should immediately consult an experienced attorney who can review their case and decide on the best course of action. For instance, trafficking is one of the most serious drug offenses in Florida courts. Someone accused of trafficking doesn’t even need to be involved in the selling, manufacturing, or delivering drugs. The act of trafficking simply means being found in possession of a large quantity of drugs. It is a first degree felony punishable by up to 30 years or life in prison without parole, depending on the facts of the case.
South Florida Drug Crimes Attorney
Have you been accused of a drug crime in Florida? Contact Brian Silber, P.A. to set up a free initial consultation with one of South Florida’s most experienced drug crimes defense attorneys.
Source: 5.1.20 Bradenton woman accused of writing dozens of fake prescriptions.pdf