Malvern Dentist Arrested in Alleged Prescription Forgeries

More than 150 charges have been filed against a Malvern oral surgeon accused of filling out forged prescriptions for his wife and staff members from his Berwyn office, according to 6 ABC News.

Chad Gretzula, 44, of the 2100 block of Yellow Springs Road in Malvern, faces 174 charges, including counts of conspiracy, forgery, tampering with records and endangering the welfare of a child. He has been remanded to Chester County Prison following his preliminary arraignment Tuesday afternoon, unable to post $150,000 cash bail. His wife, Rebecca, 32, faces almost 300 criminal charges, including conspiracy, drug violations and receiving stolen property. She posted bond on $50,000 unsecured bail.

A joint investigation by Easttown police officers and the Drug Enforcement Agency resulted in the arrests, according to the Daily Local News.

Officials say Gretzula, managing partner at Absolute Oral Surgery, P.C. in Berwyn, wrote prescriptions for the narcotics fentanyl and hydrocodone, and he and his wife replaced drugs meant for patients’ use with a saline solution to cover it up.

“This is a case about a doctor recklessly abusing his license and supplying drugs to an addict,” said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan in a statement. “The fact that the doctor and addict were husband and wife is a stark reminder about the destructive power of these opiates.”

Reports say that Rebecca, a nurse for the practice, used as many as 500 pills of hydrocodone a month and injected herself with Fentanyl their children were in the residence.

(Photos: Chad Gretzula and Rebecca Gretzula/Courtesy Easttown Police Department.)