HARRISBURG—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that the former office manager to a York physician and her husband were sentenced in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg for conspiring to obtain and distribute up to 20,000 units of oxycodone through fraud and forgery.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Amy Schneider, 31, was sentenced to serve 30 months in federal prison incarceration. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo also sentenced Joseph Schneider, 31, to 46 months’ imprisonment. Both defendants also were sentenced to three-year terms of supervised release following their incarceration, and payment of $800 fines.
In addition to conspiracy and distribution of oxycodone, Amy Schneider pleaded guilty in January 2016 to illegally using a Drug Enforcement registration to obtain a controlled substance. Joseph Schneider pleaded guilty to acquiring a prescription by fraud or forgery as well as conspiracy and distribution of oxycodone. The two were held responsible for between 10,000 and 20,000 tablets of oxycodone.
Amy Schneider was the officer manager for a York physician. She was permitted to use pre-signed prescription forms each week. The forms, intended to be used to write prescriptions for refills for patients, were fraudulently used to obtain oxycodone for the couple. Amy Schneider wrote prescriptions for Joseph Schneider. He took the prescriptions to pharmacies to be filled. Most of the oxycodone was consumed by the couple; some of the tablets were distributed to others.
The conspiracy began in approximately January 2014 and continued until at least May 2015.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy H. Fawcett.
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