Pittsburgh Man Sentenced for Operating a Forged Prescription Ring

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh has been sentenced in federal court to seven months of home confinement with electronic home monitoring, followed by four years of probation, on his conviction of a health care fraud conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Zachary Edward Rathke, 26, of Pittsburgh, Pa.

According to information presented to the court, Rathke and two co-defendants operated a forged prescription ring. Prescriptions were forged with the names, DEA numbers, medical license numbers, and signatures of real medical doctors. The prescriptions, most of which were forged for oxycodone and Percocet, were filled at a large number of Western Pennsylvania pharmacies and primarily paid for with Medicaid funds. The fraudulently obtained prescription pills were then sold on the street for substantial profit.

Assistant United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Brentwood Police Department, Mt. Pleasant Police Department and Bellevue Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Rathke.