PHILADELPHIA - Dr. Cynthia Masso, 42, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged today by information with five counts of obtaining controlled substances by fraud, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Masso was a physician licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey to practice medicine and was registered and authorized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to write prescriptions for controlled substances for legitimate medical purposes within the scope of her professional medical practice.
According to the information, between January of 2010 and October of 2013, Masso wrote approximately 496 fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone and oxycodone with acetaminophen in the names of various family members, in the name of another individual, and in the names of fictitious “patients," in order to obtain quantities of those controlled substances. In no case were any family members aware of the writing of these prescriptions in their names. She then, allegedly, posed as a nurse named “Lisa Johns" in order to have the prescriptions filled at local pharmacies.
If convicted of all charges, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of of 20 years in prison, a $1.25 million fine, a maximum term of one year supervised release, and a $500 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James Pavlock.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
