Physician Admits Writing Prescriptions in the Names of Patients to Obtain Drugs for His Own Use

Greenbelt, Maryland – Peter Wisniewski, age 52, of Huntingtown, Maryland, a physician in a Calvert County medical group, pleaded guilty today to three counts of possession of a controlled substance. Wisniewski admitted that he wrote prescriptions in the names of three of his patients for Oxycodone and Adderall that he then kept for his own use.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Nicholas DiGiulio, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services; and Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans.

According to his plea agreement, between March 2012 and April 2015, Wisniewski wrote prescriptions for Oxycodone and Adderall in the names of three elderly patients but kept the drugs for himself.  Wisniewski caused the pharmacy to fill the prescriptions, and he picked up the prescriptions without the knowledge or authorization of the patients in whose names he had written the prescriptions.  Wisniewski falsely represented to the pharmacy that as the prescribing physician he was collecting the prescriptions in order to deliver them to his elderly patients.

To conceal the scheme, Wisniewski created false entries in the medical files of the three patients in whose names he was writing the prescriptions.  During the scheme Wisniewski obtained more than 8,000 Oxycodone pills written in the names of those three patients.

The determination of what sentence to impose will be made by the sentencing judge, subject to a maximum of three years in prison. In light of the facts of the case, which will be more fully explained at sentencing, the government agreed to recommend a sentence of three years of probation and a fine of at least $40,000, which will be due on the date of Wisniewski’s sentencing. In addition, Wisniewski will voluntarily surrender his DEA controlled substances license and will not practice medicine for at least two years.  The decision whether to allow Wisniewski to practice medicine at all in the future must be made by the state medical board. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for October 23, 2015 at 1:00 p.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leah J. Bressack and Lindsay Eyler Kaplan, who are prosecuting the case.