A former certified registered nurse practitioner from western Pennsylvania has been sentenced for writing fraudulent prescriptions for Oxycodone. Joseph G. Sapp, 56, received a sentence of 11.5 to 23 months in jail followed by eight years of probation. Sapp had previously pleaded guilty to charges including possession with intent to deliver, Medicaid fraud, and forgery.
The investigation was conducted by the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. It revealed that Sapp wrote prescriptions to be filled at pharmacies across several counties: Westmoreland, Allegheny, Fayette, and Washington.
Sapp admitted to writing prescriptions for himself and others in exchange for money while defrauding Medicaid. He confessed during an interview to using Medicaid fraudulently by submitting false claims for unnecessary prescriptions and illegally obtaining prescriptions under false identities.
Attorney General Michelle Henry stated, “The defendant had a professional responsibility to prescribe medications for people in need, and instead, betrayed his duties by contributing to the opioid epidemic and expanding access to Oxycodone.” She emphasized that those administering powerful medications must be held accountable when they break the law.
The Office of Attorney General received assistance from multiple agencies including the Penn Township Police Department, the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force, the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Senior Deputy Attorneys General Thomas R. Grace and Edward Song prosecuted the case against Sapp.