A York County optometrist and one of his former staff members are charged with running a prescription drug scheme following an investigation into the doctor’s prescribing practices by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.
According to the criminal complaint, Dr. David Wagers, formerly an optometrist at Apple Hill Eye Center, in York, wrote prescriptions in a former employee’s name. That employee, Amanda Peters, would then fill the scripts at various area pharmacies. Peters would then return the pills to Wagers.
In addition to that alleged scheme, Dr. Wagers also allegedly used scripts which were stolen from a previous employer, to write and fill prescriptions for hydrocodone (a Schedule III controlled substance) in his own name.
Investigators said that Dr. Wagers had a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration to prescribe Schedule III, IV and V controlled substances. However, Dr. Wagers did not have any authority to prescribe oxycodone, which is a Schedule II controlled substance.
Dr. Wagers and Peters were arraigned in York County by Dallastown Magisterial District Judge Scott Laird. Peters was released on $5,000 unsecured bail and Dr. Wagers was released on $7,500 unsecured bail. The case will be prosecuted in York County.
Attorney General Kane thanked the York Area Regional Police for their assistance with the investigation.
Dr. Wagers, 43, of Palmyra, Lebanon County, is charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance by fraud, one count of prescribing a controlled substance not in accordance with treatment principles, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of failure to keep records of distribution of controlled substances.
Amanda Peters, 29, of Wellsville, York County, is charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance by fraud and one count of criminal conspiracy.