Queens Doctor Among Those Arrested For Illegally Prescribing Oxycodone

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

Five doctors, a pharmacist and three medical assistants in New York have been charged with illegally prescribing millions of oxycodone pills.

The doctors worked out of offices in Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and Westchester County.

Indictments unsealed in federal court Thursday say the doctors collected millions of dollars while prescribing Oxycodone pills to patients that had no legitimate medical need for the drug.

Often, the patients were drug addicts.

At the Staten Island doctor's office of Carl Anderson, federal prosecutors say crowds of noisy people stood in line at all hours of the night seeking prescriptions for Oxycodone pills.

Sometimes his neighbors had to call police. Authorities say several of his patients, including two of his employees, died of overdoses. Information on Anderson's lawyer wasn't immediately available.