NJ Psychiatrist Traded Drugs For Sex, Authorities Say

CAMDEN, NJ — A 73-year-old man gave out prescriptions of addictive drugs to patients in return for sexual favors, the United States District Attorney's Office for New Jersey said.

Louis Morelli, of Cape May County, pleaded guilty in Camden to 17 counts of causing, with the intent to defraud and mislead, prescription drugs to be dispensed without valid prescriptions.

According to the state, Adderall, Xanax, and Vyvanse were among the drugs prescribed to his partners and other known drug addicts.

Morelli owned and ran a psychiatry practice in Smithville, where he operated as a certified psychiatrist.

Over multiple years, he would use invalid prescriptions to facilitate drugs to 17 different patients for sexual activities, images, or videos, court records stated.

On one occasion, Morelli responded to a patient asking for a prescription with the message, "Your ass is my script...lol."

He also wrote invalid prescriptions for patients whom he knew had battled drug addiction and overdoses.

He also orchestrated prescriptions to those who intended to illegally trade, distribute, or resell the doses, even after being warned by law enforcement regarding these individuals.

According to the state, Morelli admitted that at least one of his orders involved "the conscious or reckless risk of death or serious bodily injury," and that at least one prescription did indeed lead to a death or serious injury.

In 2019, Morelli got a message from the mother of a patient who said her child was abusing drugs that he prescribed, and that they had stopped breathing the day prior.

After a few months, Morelli was made aware that the same individual took a large amount of Xanax, drank beers, "took 50 benzos in a short amount of time," and let a friend know that they planned "to shoot up."

After the mother warned Morelli of concerns that her kid was "grooming" him to keep the flow of drugs steady and asked Morelli to stop writing prescriptions, he continued anyway.

Each charge faces a maximum of three years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

Morelli voluntarily gave up his Drug Enforcement Administration Certificate of Registration and his certifications to practice medicine and psychiatry.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 27, 2026.

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