On October 17, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced that Dr. Wayne D Longmore from Woodstock, New York, pled guilty to drug charges. He is charged with possessing and distributing hydrocodone in a manner that is not professionally acceptable.
During his plea agreement, Dr. Longmore, 63, admitted that he intentionally distributed hydrocodone between November 3, 2011 and March 21, 2012 through Northern New York and other areas. He distributed the drug, a Schedule III controlled substance, when the patients weren’t in actual need of the drug.
He wrote the prescriptions for the hydrocodone in order to increase profits for his medical practice. According to the guilty plea, Dr. Longmore wrote the prescriptions for patients that did not necessarily need the drugs and received $60 cash payments for writing the prescriptions. He only wrote the prescriptions for a 7-day period, so many patients were forced to return and pay another $60 the following week.
Dr. Longmore admitted that he prescribed the hydrocodone during patients’ first appointments. During these appointments, he failed to perform a routine physical examination or research the patients’ medical history.
Dr. Longmore admitted that he prescribed between 2,500 and 5,000 units of the hydrocodone between November 3, 2011 and March 21, 2012. He has agreed to forfeit his medical license in New York State along with his DEA license used to prescribe narcotics. He has also agreed to pay a $200,000 money judgment for drug trafficking.
Dr. Longmore is scheduled for sentencing on February 7, 2013. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine up to $500,000, and two years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the FBI, DEA, New York State Department of Health, and the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
