Medical Resident Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining Prescription Opioid Pain Medications

St. Louis, MO – Kyle Betts pled guilty today to fraudulently obtaining pain relief drugs, including Percocet® and Norco®, by writing over seventy false prescriptions.

According to the plea agreement, during November 2014 through February 2016, Betts was a medical resident associated with a medical school that was located in the City of St. Louis, Missouri. Betts wrote the opioid prescriptions using the names of six separate persons, although he did not have a physician- patient relationship with any of them. Betts used the names of his family members for some of the prescriptions, and the names of persons with whom he had romantic relationships for other prescriptions. For some of these prescriptions, Betts went to the pharmacy and personally presented prescriptions for drugs using other peoples’ names. The Medicare and Illinois Medicaid programs funded some of the drugs obtained under these false prescriptions.

Betts pled guilty to one felony count of obtaining prescription drugs that contained controlled substances through misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, and subterfuge before United States District Judge Catherine Perry. Sentencing has been set for August 17, 2017.

This charge carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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