News Release
January 27, 2011
Erin McKenzie-Mulvey
Public Information Officer
(212) 337-2906

Niagara Falls Doctor Among Fourteen Charged
in Major Prescription Drug Investigation

JAN 27 - BUFFALO, N.Y. -- United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division John P. Gilbride and U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that fourteen individuals were charged in criminal complaints in connection with the use of fraudulently issued and forged prescriptions for controlled substances. Among those charged is Dr. Pravin V. Mehta, 73, of Amherst, New York, whose medical practice is located on Main Street in Niagara Falls, New York. Mehta is charged with illegal distribution of controlled substances. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Rogowski, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, Mehta issued prescriptions for controlled substances, primarily Opana and Oxycontin, to patients without a proper medical exam and outside the norms of professional medical treatment. The complaint cites ten occasions between March 2010 and September 2010, when Mehta is accused of engaging in this conduct. In one instance, Mehta prescribed a larger number of dosage units of a controlled substance to a "patient," an individual cooperating with the investigation, knowing that the "patient" intended to share the controlled substances with another individual who was not a Mehta patient.

Also executed at the time of Mehta's arrest was an immediate suspension order (ISO) upon Mehta's DEA registration. This order is effective immediately and prohibits Mehta from possessing, dispensing or prescribing any controlled substances. The order was issued due to Mehta's continued possession of a DEA registration being deemed as inconsistent with the public interest and an imminent danger to public health and safety.

“There are thousands of faces of prescription drug abuse. It could be a mother, a son, a cousin or a friend but the abuse of prescription drugs has dramatically risen to a point of concern not only in law enforcement but in our homes,â€