Fort Lee Doc Overprescribed Meds, Laundered Money: Prosecutor

FORT LEE, NJ — A local doctor is accused of prescribing oxycodone to patients who had no need for the drug and made them pay him directly in order to hide the illegal prescriptions, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.

Dr. Barry Sloan, 60, of Fort Lee, is a doctor of osteopathic medicine and ran a medical practice out of the Rehabilitation Medical Center of New Jersey on Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne.

In 2016, Sloan overprescribed oxycodone, a highly addictive pain medication, and other narcotics to patients who had "no legitimate need for them," and without "medical justification" or a treatment plan, said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes.

Sloan allegedly required patients to pay him with money orders for the drugs in order to hide the illegal prescriptions for health insurance companies and to hide where the money came from, Valdes said.

Sloan also failed to pay New Jersey income tax on the revenue he derived from the practice, Valdes said.

Sloan was charged with distribution of controlled dangerous substances, illegally prescribing prescription legend drug, money laundering, failure to pay state income tax, and failure to file a state tax return.

Sloan could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in state prison if found guilty of all charges.

Sloan's arrest is the result of a two-year investigation by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Task Force and Financial Crimes Unit, the Wayne Police Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the state Office of the Attorney General, and the New Jersey Department of Taxation.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Dr. Barry Sloan, 60, of Fort Lee (Passaic County Prosecutor's Office)