AG Files Charges Against Nurse Accused Of Forging Painkiller Prescriptions
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – State Attorney General Kathleen Kane filed charges against 34-year-old Stephanie Letters, for allegedly forging prescriptions to buy painkillers for her husband, 31-year-old Taylor Letters.
She worked as a registered nurse for five years at a UPMC physician in the Medical Arts building, near St. Margaret's Hospital.
Authorities say between May 2013 and September of 2014, she called in or wrote 100 prescriptions for 8,000 tablets. None of the prescriptions were authorized by the doctor who employed her.
Most of the pills were Hydrocodone, more than 2,000 Alprazolam and more than 100 Oxycontin tablets.
Investigators with the Attorney General's Insurance Fraud section say Letters used her husband Taylor's UPMC insurance to pay for the prescriptions on a few occasions.
The prescriptions were filled by four pharmacies throughout the area. Pharmacy employees identified Taylor Letters as the person who always picked up the prescriptions.
The investigation started after the doctor notified authorities that a number of unauthorized prescriptions for controlled substances were written for Taylor Letters.
Stephanie Letters and her husband both admitted they obtained the drugs illegally. Taylor Letters claims he never sold any of the drugs, saying they were for his own personal use.
No one was available when KDKA stopped by the couple's home in Indianola Township. Several neighbors who did not want to be identified said they were surprised by the charges.
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