Doctor charged with writing 320 fraudulent prescriptions

Eight men were charged with participation in the ring.
CORAOPOLIS, Pa. (AP) -- A Lawrence County doctor, two prison guards and a former Allegheny County treasurer's department official were charged with participating in a large OxyContin ring.
Dr. Alan Egleston, 59, of New Wilmington, was at the center of the ring, writing hundreds of fraudulent OxyContin prescriptions, charging $1,000 or $2,000 for each, Attorney General Tom Corbett said Thursday.
In all, Egleston wrote more than 320 fraudulent prescriptions for more than 21,000 pills, Corbett said.
Kevin O'Brien, 36, of Pittsburgh, an Allegheny County Jail guard on disability, referred addicts to Egleston and sold the drug himself, Corbett said. John Good, 33, of Pittsburgh, another guard, was also charged.
Also charged was Pasquale Capizzi, 36, of Allison Park, a former deputy chief of the Allegheny County treasurer's office, who was fired on allegations of conducting a drug sale, authorities said.
Most of the eight people charged, including Egleston, O'Brien and Good, were in custody, prosecutors said. Egleston and Good did not comment as they were taken to Beaver County Jail on Thursday. Capizzi had a nonpublished number and could not immediately be reached.
OxyContin is a time-released painkiller that can be highly addictive. Designed to be swallowed whole and digested over 12 hours, the pills can produce a heroinlike high if crushed and then swallowed, snorted or injected in one swift dose.
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