MISSOULA - A former Ennis pharmacist who admitted dispensing opioids to himself and to a friend using forged or altered prescriptions was sentenced today to five months in prison, followed by five months of home confinement, three years of supervised release and was fined $4,500, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Bradley John Stoick, 70, of Hailey, Idaho, pleaded guilty on July 30 to dispensing a controlled substance by a practitioner and to acquiring or obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. Judge Molloy allowed Stoick to self report to prison.
“Mr. Stoick abused his position as a pharmacist to fraudulently prescribe himself opioids and to illegally send opioids to a friend. Health care professionals and other licensed providers must comply with the law in dispensing all drugs, especially opioids, and they will be held accountable if they don’t," U.S. Attorney Alme said.
The prosecution said in court records that Stoick was the pharmacist-in-charge of Ennis Pharmacy in Ennis. In 2019, Drug Enforcement Administration investigators conducted a routine administrative inspection of Ennis Pharmacy and discovered numerous prescriptions for Stoick for Norco 10-325mg, a drug which contains Hydrocodone, a powerful opioid and a Schedule II controlled substance. Stoick filled those prescriptions for himself as the on-duty pharmacist. The doctor whose name and signature were on those prescriptions never saw Stoick as a patient and did not issue any of those prescriptions.
In addition, pharmacy records showed that Stoick altered a prescription for a friend. He modified the strength of the prescription from Norco 5-325mg up to Norco 10-325mg, which contains twice as much Hydrocodone. He also increased the amount of the prescription from 45 pills to 120 pills. Stoick then filled the prescription himself and mailed it to his friend in Utah.
In a separate civil case settled in July, Ennis Pharmacy agreed to pay a $125,000 fine and make several changes to its operating procedures.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Kakuk prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the DEA.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
