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LANSING, MI — Ten people from mid-Michigan are facing felony charges for their alleged role in what Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is calling an opioid drug ring.
At the center of the ring is Lansing resident Jennifer Bicego, 30, who is accused of illegally obtaining a prescription pad from a doctor’s office she used to work at, according to a news release from Schuette’s office.
Authorities believe Bicego and company used the pad to forge prescriptions for OxyContin, Norco, Percocet and Adderall.
They then took the fake prescriptions to several pharmacies in mid-Michigan, obtained the drugs, and sold them in exchange for cash or other drugs, authorities believe.
Several of the alleged fake prescriptions were billed to Medicaid, according to the release.
“When misused, prescription drugs can be every bit as dangerous as street drugs,” Schuette said in the release. “We will continue to aggressively pursue anyone involved in diverting prescription drugs outside the realm of legitimate medical treatment who are contributing to the scourge of opioid addiction to make money, at the detriment to those addicted and to our state as a whole.”
The other nine people allegedly involved in the ring are Mason residents Luke Gutkowski, 22, and Trisha Burkett, 20, Lansing residents Dustin Fritz, 20, and Rachel Vito, 27, Holt residents Lance Roe, 33, and Charles Loveall, 34, Charlotte resident Brandon Madden, 32, East Lansing resident Andrew Pell, 31, and Vernon resident Jona Lafferty, 20.
Eight of the 10 people were arraigned on Tuesday, Jan. 10, in front of Judge Andrea Larkin in 54B District Court in East Lansing.
Roe and Pell were arraigned on Wednesday, Jan. 11, in front of Judge Richard Ball in 54B District Court in East Lansing. Roe is being charged as a habitual fourth offender and Pell as a habitual second offender.
Bicego’s bond was set at $50,000, while everybody else received a personal recognizance bond of $25,000, according to the release.
Bicego faces five counts of Medicaid fraud, six counts of conspiracy to commit controlled substances and two counts of obtaining controlled substances by fraud — all felony charges, according to the release.
The other nine people face varying felony charges of Medicaid fraud, conspiracy to commit controlled substances, attempt to commit controlled substances and obtaining controlled substances by fraud, according to the release.
The charges were filed following an investigation completed by Schuette’s Health Care Fraud Division after a complaint was referred to them by the Tri-County Metro Narcotics Squad, a multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement team that serves Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties.
“I’d like to commend the Tri-County Metro Narcotics Squad for their significant role in developing this case,” Schuette said in the release.
Anybody aware of fraud in the Medicaid program is encouraged to report it to Schuette’s Health Care Fraud Division by calling 800-242-2873.