Nancy Schwartz, of West Chestnut Street in Pottstown, who had been charged with illegally filling prescriptions in Collegeville and New Hanover between January 2010 and January 2011, was sentenced to 5 years of Intermediate Punishment on Friday by Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge William R. Carpenter after pleading guilty to Identity Theft, Forgery, and Obtaining Drugs by Fraud.
The conviction stemmed from prescriptions for drugs that Schwartz called into drug stores by using the DEA number of a Chester County dentist that she had one time been employed by. A “DEA number” is a number assigned by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to health care professionals who are licensed to prescribe controlled dangerous substances. The prescriptions that Schwartz called in were made out to her and the fictitious name of another woman.
This is a good resolution for a woman who clearly had some type of drug addiction problem that played a part in the commission of her crimes. At sentencing, Montgomery County Criminal Lawyer V. Erik Peterson argued that, in light of Schwartz’s completion of a 13 month stint of drug and psychological, she should be spared the jail time and be given the benefit of the “IP Program,” which focuses more on rehabilitation and treatment than punitive measures.
As a Montgomery County Drug Lawyer, I have defended many individuals in a similar position as Ms. Schwartz. I have seen Courts give a a defendant, who has exhibited a addiction problem and has devoted themselves to a degree of treatment, the benefit of county rehab programs as opposed to jail time as a means of resolving a case. Sometimes rehab is all a person needs. It should be noted here that Schwartz will be required to serve the first six moths of the program on house arrest which will require Schwartz to wear and electronic bracelet around her ankle which will allow probation officials to monitor her location.