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The former chief pharmacist at the Pennsylvania Soldiers and Sailors Home in Erie will not spend any time behind bars for unlawfully taking more than 12,000 doses of controlled substances from the facility.
James F. Franks, of Union City, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to two years probation. He must also pay $15,308.75 in restitution for the drugs that were taken and a $1,000 fine.
Franks pleaded guilty to a single count for violating federal drug laws June 25.
U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter said he took the drugs to fuel his addiction. The defendant’s therapist also testified during the sentencing hearing.
Investigators said it happened from July 2016 to July 2017 while Franks had access to a “full array” of medicines, controlled substances, pharmaceutical and medical products stocked in the pharmacy.
He obtained doses of the controlled substances listed below by removing the pills from the pharmacy shelves, surreptitiously taking the pills and removing them from the Soldiers and Sailors Home, according to the indictment.
Franks also attempted to conceal the theft of the controlled substances by altering the manual and electronic prescription drug logs and pharmacy software, the indictment said.
Investigators said he did not have any valid, legitimate prescriptions for the controlled substances taken from the pharmacy.
Franks was terminated in August 2017.
A representative for the Pennsylvania Soldiers and Sailors Home said it has “cooperated fully with law enforcement in this matter.”