Collingswood Resident Nabbed in 'Friend with a Pen' Case

A New Holland, PA, doctor stands accused of writing false prescriptions for two of his patients over the course of a year-and-a-half, including one Collingswood resident, who was arrested Wednesday.

Anthony Brocco, 26, of Collingswood, faces one charge of obtaining Oxycodone by misrepresentation, fraud or deception. He will be extradited to Lancaster County, PA, for arraignment.

His doctor, James Nash, who surrendered his license voluntarily, will face one charge of prescribing Oxycodone not in good faith in the course of his professional practice.

According to Lancaster County prosecutors, Brocco received 45 separate prescriptions for Oxycodone-30 from Nash between January 2010 and November 2011.

In obtaining these, he provided pharmacies with a variety of false addresses and dates of birth, which investigators say is a common tactic among prescription fraudsters, to circumvent early refill restrictions.

Along with Percocet and Vicodin, Oxycodone is one of the most commonly abused prescription painkillers in the United States. Known for its heroin-like opiate effects, a single pill can fetch anywhere from $1 to $5 per milligram on the street, although Lancaster County prosecutors did not charge any of the defendants in this case with attempting to sell the drugs illegally.

In Brocco’s patient chart, agents found notes from Nash indicating that he needed to reduce Brocco’s dependence upon the drugs; however, after those were written, the number of tablets Nash prescribed increased.

Brocco’s charts were also lacking any notation on the reason for their prescription, nor did they contain any recorded dosing measurements.

The other patient charged in the case is Jared Parvin, 28, of Ephrata, PA, who was arrested Thursday for obtaining Oxycodone by misrepresentation, fraud or deception.

This is not the first case of prescription fraud Collingswood has seen this year. In March, police apprehended Tracy Lorup, 42, of Berlin, .