A popular Lansdale physician has been arrested following a multi-agency investigation into illegal activities including the overprescribing of medications to patients.
Lawrence Miller, D.O., 48, of Warminster, has been charged with one felony count of corrupt organizations, 31 felony counts of unlawful prescribing, 18 misdemeanor counts of prescribing to drug dependent person(s) and one felony count of criminal use of communication facility. His Lansdale practice, located at 1000 Walnut Street, has been closed since authorities raided the location in June.
According to a report from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, the investigation revealed that Miller’s family practice “became a magnet for drug addicts and drug traffickers,” with nine of his patients dying from drug overdoses. The report states that the prescriptions issued by Miller put patients at a high risk for overdose, with some being as high as 10 times the maximum dosage recommended by national and state guidelines.
The report alleges that Miller would often prescribe medication without a physical examination despite not having contact with the patient over long periods of time, and the report adds that Miller failed to utilize the mechanisms in place to ensure narcotics weren’t being diverted or abused.
Miller joins three other local doctors—Joseph F Cipriano, 56, of Norristown, Brian C. Keeley, 61, of Philadelphia, and Joseph M. Rybicki, 59, of Haddonfield, NJ,—in being charged as a result of the investigations. Agencies involved in the investigation include the Hatfield Township Police Department, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Narcotics Enforcement Team, a Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force and multiple other local and regional law enforcement agencies.
Miller was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy, who set bail at $100,000 unsecured. The report states that Miller waived his preliminary hearing.
