Pennsylvania doctor arrested, charged with writing fraudulent drug prescriptions

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (WTAJ) — A doctor in western Pennsylvania has been charged with writing fraudulent and illegal prescriptions, Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry announced.

On March 1st, Dr. Jessie Kunkel of Murrysville arrested According to Henry’s press release, since 2018, he has been charged with writing fraudulent and illegal prescriptions for drugs such as Xanax and Adderall.

An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that Kunkel had prescribed drugs to patients and kept some of the drugs for himself in exchange for writing prescriptions.

In several cases, Kunkel wrote, filled, and received prescriptions himself without the patient’s knowledge, and paid for the drug using a previous patient’s insurance.

“As a medical professional, Dr. Kunkel was trusted to care for patients and the community,” said Deputy AG Henry. “She betrayed her trust when she used her patient’s identity to access her recreational drugs. We will hold medical professionals accountable for using them to endanger the safety of people.”

An OAG investigation found that Kunkel overlooked potential health risks by prescribing drugs to people with whom he had personal relationships without evaluating them as patients.

Kunkel suspected, according to OAG

• Eight Counts of Obtaining Controlled Substances Through Fraud, Counterfeiting, Deception, or Ruse
• Selling, dispensing, or distributing controlled substances to any person who knows or has reason to know that the practitioner is a drug addict, except as permitted by law , prescription, or gift
• Five counts for delivery/intentional possession of controlled substances
• Five counts for delivery/intentional possession of controlled substances
• 5 controlled substance possessions
• 1 case of insurance fraud.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Katie Weimard and Senior Deputy Attorney General Todd Goodwin.