Suspended Pelican Rapids Doctor Pleads Guilty To Stealing Prescription Drugs

United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced the guilty plea of BLAIR A. NELSON, 43, who obtained Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, and other prescription drugs by writing and filling fraudulent prescriptions. NELSON pleaded guilty to obtaining a controlled substance by fraud today before Judge Susan R. Nelson in United States District Court in St. Paul, Minn.

“Prescription drug diversion is an ongoing threat to both public safety and public health,” said U.S. Attorney Luger. “Working closely with colleagues at the Drug Enforcement Administration and in local law enforcement, we are clamping down on prescription drug fraud and abuse.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, beginning in May 2013, NELSON, who was a doctor practicing medicine in Pelican Rapids, Minn., and Fargo, N.D., began writing prescriptions to various pharmacies in Minnesota for opioids including oxycodone, hydrocodone, and amphetamines. NELSON wrote the prescriptions so that they could be filled in the names of members of his family and friends. However, after issuing the prescriptions, NELSON picked up the drugs for his own use.

According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, between May 2013 and September 2014, NELSON attempted to obtain from Target, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart, at least 1,730 prescription pills for his own use by writing prescriptions in the names of his family members. He continued to write prescriptions even after the State of Minnesota suspended his medical license on October 8, 2013.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.

On Tuesday, August 25, 2015, a conference entitled, “Pain.Pill.Problem.” will be held at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities Campus, to bring together experts in the fields of public health and law enforcement to define the scope of the opioid abuse problem and develop solutions to move Minnesota forward together. The one-day conference is co-sponsored by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Hazelden Betty Ford Institute for Recovery Advocacy, Mayo Clinic, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, University of Minnesota, and others. Please visit www.PainPillProblem.com for more information about the event.

Defendant Information:                                                                                                                    

BLAIR A. NELSON, 43

Pelican Rapids, Minn.

Convicted:

• Obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, 1 count

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600