MEDFORD, Ore.—A Medford Podiatrist pleaded guilty today for using fraud and deception to obtain controlled substances which he used to feed his personal addiction, announced U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.
Patrick T. Code, 60, pleaded guilty today to a one count information charging Obtaining Possession of a Controlled Substance through Misrepresentation, Fraud, Forgery, Deception and Subterfuge.
“Substance addiction is a public safety and health crisis for this community, and no one is immune from the ravages of addiction including professionals in health care. However, the defendant’s conduct in illegally obtaining and using powerful drugs while acting as a trusted health care provider is particularly alarming”, said United States Attorney Williams. “This case was brought in order to protect the community from the ongoing risk to patients posed by the defendant’s actions.”
According to court documents, for several years between June 2016 and May 2019, the defendant wrote prescriptions for 2,876 – 50 mg tablets of tramadol and 78-10 mg tablets of zolpidem using the names of fake patients or the names and information of relatives who were not aware of the prescriptions. The defendant acquired the controlled substances from pharmacies falsely claiming the drugs were for others and used the drugs to feed his own drug addiction
Code faces a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 1 year of supervised release. Code will be sentenced on December 3, 2020, before U.S. District Court Judge Ann L. Aiken.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. It is being prosecuted by Joseph H. Huynh, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.