LI Dentist, 70, Accused Of Trading Illegal Prescriptions For Sex

WILLISTON PARK, NY — A Long Island dentist will be in court Thursday afternoon after he was accused of writing illegal prescriptions to women in exchange for sex.

Dr. Barry Arnold, a Williston Park resident with a practice in Valley Stream, was arrested Wednesday and is due in U.S. District Court in Central Islip Thursday afternoon. The 70-year-old dentist faces 28 counts of distribution of controlled substances, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. If convicted, he could spend up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors allege that between October 2016 and August 2020, Arnold prescribed oxycodone, Percocet and Xanax to women — some of whom were severely drug-addicted — in exchange for sex. They were not his patients and the prescriptions were not for legitimate medical reasons, according to court documents.

"It's alleged that Dr. Arnold took advantage of vulnerable, addicted women for his own benefit," said Peter C. Fitzhugh, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations New York. "He is ethically and legally responsible for every prescription, but he broke his oath with his alleged misconduct, and he is really no different than a street dealer."

The exchanges happened after normal business hours at his previous dental office in Lynbrook and his current practice in Valley Stream, authorities said. Such deals would also take place at his apartment in Williston Park, and at least one other home in New York. At times, he would purchase and use crack cocaine with his victims, according to prosecutors.

Court documents reveal that prosecutors said Arnold attempted to exchange Percocet for sex as recently as Monday. In a series of text messages with a woman he believed to be Jane Doe #5, Arnold asked if she wanted to "party a bit" and advised that he might be able to write her a script for Percocet, according to the documents. He later said that Jane Doe #5 could bring a friend who "likes to party" and inquired if the friend "like(s) to play like (Jane Doe #5)," according to the documents.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Arnold has been uncooperative throughout the arrest processing — including refusing to provide his thumbprint to law enforcement to unlock his iPhone.