Man Pleads Guilty to Prescription Fraud Scheme

CONCORD, NH - A New Hampshire man has pleaded guilty to drug dealing charges in U.S. District Court.

James Donnelly, 34, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, oxycodone, according to U.S. Attorney Emily Gray Rice.

According to documents that were filed in court and statements in the plea proceeding, Donnelly, Geoffrey McIntosh, and others arranged to pass dozens of false prescriptions for OxyContin pills at pharmacies in the Manchester and Nashua areas. These prescriptions contained falsified signatures of a physician.

"Donnelly admitted that he arranged for runners to pass these fraudulent prescriptions at pharmacies," Rice noted in a press statement. "The runners would then be provided with pills or cash as payment for passing the fraudulent prescriptions. McIntosh would then sell the pills or have others sell them on his behalf. During the investigation, law enforcement officers identified over 100 fraudulent prescriptions for OxyContin, which were filled in 2009 and 2010.

Donnelly will be sentenced in mid-October. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from other law enforcement agencies, including the Nashua Police Department, Manchester Police Department, Merrimack Police Department, and the New Hampshire State Police.