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A Lehigh Valley trauma surgeon is among 10 Lehigh Valley residents facing charges in connection with prescription fraud investigations, prosecutors announced Friday.

Three of the defendants worked in the medical field, one used veterinary offices to get pain medication, and six others were part of a prescription pill ring in the Allentown area, prosecutors said.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said the charges were the result of multiple investigations by Agent Brian Rimple, who works in the Attorney General’s bureau of narcotics investigation and drug control.

“This roundup in the Lehigh Valley, including the arrest of doctors and medical staff, shows no one is above the law in our fight against the heroin epidemic,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Today’s arrests prove what I’ve said all along: I’ll go after drug dealers on the street corner, in boardrooms and doctor’s offices and hospitals.”

The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office will be prosecuting the cases. Spokeswoman Meg Wieand did not know when the defendants will be arraigned on their respective charges.

Trauma surgeon at St. Luke’s

Dr. Scott Keeney was working as a trauma surgeon Jan. 31 at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill, when he allegedly took Fentanyl from a patient’s room and later injected himself with the drug.

The 41-year-old Keeney is no longer employed at St. Luke’s, prosecutors said.

Keeney, who lives in the 2000 block of Pheasant Court in Lower Saucon Township, will be charged with acquiring or obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge; and possession of a controlled substance.

A St. Luke’s spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.

Good Shepherd employee in Bethlehem

A Good Shepherd Rehabilitation employee took patients’ medications in March 2016 while she worked at the Good Shepherd Specialty Hospital at 2524 Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem, authorities said.

Jennifer Quimby, 47, of the 100 block of Grandview Drive in Palmer Township, resigned from Good Shepherd on March 25, 2016, prosecutors said.

Quimby is charged with acquiring or obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge; possession of a controlled substance; and providing false information on an application, report or other document.

A message left for a Good Shepherd spokeswoman was not immediately returned.

Coordinated Health doctor

A doctor employed by Coordinated Health allegedly wrote prescriptions for himself and his mother.

Dr. Faton Bilali, of the 2500 block of Allenbrook Drive in Allentown, allegedly wrote the prescriptions between January and August 2015 for generic Adderall, and pain medications including oxycodone.

The 39-year-old Bilali filled the prescriptions himself, prosecutors said.

Bilali will be charged with acquiring or obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, authorities said.

A message left for a Coordinated Health spokesperson asking about the case was not immediately returned.

Woman uses dog’s scripts for pain medication

A Lehigh County woman is accused of using her dog to get more than 1,000 pain pills.

Prosecutors said Kate Peters, 40, of the 8000 block of Kings Highway in Lynn Township, went to four different county veterinarians under the guise of getting tramadol for her dog.

The 40-year-old Peters was given refills from three of the four clinics, allowing her to acquire almost 1,200 tablets of tramadol in a two-month period, investigators allege.

Peters will be charged with acquiring or obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge; and possession of a controlled substance.

Percocet pill ring in Allentown area

An Allentown man allegedly got a prescription pad from his mother’s workplace in Lower Nazareth Township and had five people fill fake prescriptions for Percocet.

Investigators say Charles Way, 18, of the 100 block of East Gordon Street, used forms from Premier Spine and Pain Management, and both he and others filled the prescriptions between Dec. 9 and Jan. 13 at pharmacies in the Allentown area.

Way faces multiple charges, including seven counts each of forgery, conspiracy and possession of a controlled substance.

The five accused of filling the prescriptions are:

  • Leevon Riddick, 29, of the 100 block of North Seventh Street in Allentown.
  • Jesus Alvalle, 19, of the 600 block of West Brookdale Street in Allentown.
  • Keisha Foster, 20, of the first block of Catasauqua Avenue in Whitehall.
  • Crystal Santos, 26, of the 400 block of Easy Cumberland Street in Allentown.
  • Kayleen Rivera, 19, of the 400 block of East Juniata Street in Allentown.

Riddick, Alvalle, Foster, Santos and Rivera each filled one prescription for 120 pills, and Rivera, Alvalle and Santos gave the pills to Way, prosecutors said.

An employee with Premier Spine and Pain Management declined to comment about the case.