Tuesday, July 1, 2014 | 12:34 p.m.
A Las Vegas doctor pleaded guilty today to a federal drug conspiracy charge for writing illegal oxycodone prescriptions, according to Nevada U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden.
Victor Bruce, 49, faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 9.
Bruce, a Nevada-licensed physician who operated the Swan Lake Medical Center at 3330 South Hualapai Way, worked with several co-conspirators to write oxycodone prescriptions to people he had never treated as patients, officials alleged.
Oxycodone is an opioid-based pain medication that can be addictive even at regular doses.
One of the co-conspirators provided Bruce a list of names to write oxycodone prescriptions for and, after doing so, Bruce would create “dummy” medical records for those people, officials said.
An undercover officer purchased oxycodone prescriptions written by Bruce on four separate occasions in June 2013 for $700 each, officials said.
“Bruce knew he was writing prescriptions for controlled substances to customers he did not treat and who did not need the prescriptions,” a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated. “None of the prescriptions were issued for a legitimate medical purpose or in the usual course of profession practice.”
Others accused of being involved in the scheme have also been charged; their cases are pending, officials said.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy