Dentist Charged With Writing Fraudulent Prescriptions
Toothaches don’t justify dispensing narcotics for non-medical purposes

JUN 6 -- ALBANY, NY – John P. Gilbride, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and Glenn T. Suddaby, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, announced today that Sarupindar Singh, D.D.S. of Rexford, New York, entered a plea of guilty in United States District Court on June 6, 2007 to a one count felony information charging him with dispensing and distributing hydrocodone mixed with a non-narcotic, a Schedule III Controlled Substance, to individuals for non-medical purposes. Sentencing is scheduled for October 9, 2007, before Judge Thomas J. McAvoy. The defendant faces maximum penalties of imprisonment for five years, followed by a term of supervised release of 3 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and the loss of his federal license to prescribe narcotic medication.

DEA Special Agent in Charge John P. Gilbride stated, "Writing prescriptions in exchange for other illegal controlled substances is no way to practice Dentistry. Dr. Singh is charged for issuing fraudulent prescriptions for hydrocodone and exchanging these drugs for other controlled substances for illegitimate use. This trade of illegal goods is a crime on both ends ‑ the illegal possession of controlled substances, and the falsified prescriptions being written. The DEA is committed to ensuring that legitimate pharmaceuticals are not diverted for illegitimate abuse and that those entrusted with the responsibility of dispensing pharmaceutical drugs do not violate that trust."

Dr. Singh was engaged in a dental practice in Cobleskill, New York, and from January 2004 until January 2005 dispensed prescriptions of the Schedule III narcotic hydrocodone to numerous individuals for non-medical purposes. These pills were used illegally by the individuals receiving them.

U.S. Attorney Suddaby noted that, “We recognize that dispensing medical prescriptions for illegal uses has been a widespread problem in the medical community, and we hope this prosecution will have a significant deterrent effect upon this practice.”

The charges resulted from an investigation initiated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, in Albany, New York.