Ramifications for Prescription Drug Forgery in Illinois 

 Posted on February 07, 2022 in Criminal Defense

Prescription drug forgery in the state of Illinois is a felony under the Illinois Controlled Substances Act and can result in significant fines and jail time. Even if prescription drug forgery was your first offense, the ramifications are often severe. In the state of Illinois, those charged can face up to five years in the penitentiary and pay up to $200,000 in fines. If you are being charged with drug forgery, it is important to speak to a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. 

What is Drug Forgery?

Prescription drug forgery can fall under several categories. Typically, this type of drug crime is done through physicians illegally altering an existing prescription or writing a new one that is improper. Drug forgery can also look like:

• A patient using a doctor’s prescription notepad illegally to write a prescription 

• A patient forging a doctor’s signature on a prescription

• Altering the prescription written by a physician 

• Impersonating a medical professional 

• Creating or editing a prescription using a computer software program

The most common form of prescription forgery comes from a valid prescription pad from a physician, but it is signed or dated incorrectly or signed by someone other than the physician. Pharmacists are usually trained to be on the lookout for unusual handwriting, photocopied prescriptions or mismatched dates. 

It is common for this form of drug abuse to come from a legitimate drug prescription. Many times, people will suffer from a painful accident and be legally prescribed painkillers, such as Oxycontin, by their doctors. However, prescription drugs like Oxycontin have a high risk of addiction associated with extended use. Long-term prescription drug abuse may cause people to suffer from a debilitating addiction. People abusing prescription drugs are often addicted to the drug and/or distributing the drug to others. Distribution charges add another layer of legal consequences on top of prescription forgery. 

What are the Legal Consequences?

In the state of Illinois, a first-time offender who fraudulently wrote or altered a drug prescription may face up to $100,000 in fines and one to three years of jail time in a penitentiary. A second-time offender may be looking at five years of jail time and double the fines at $200,000. With illegally obtained drugs through fraudulent prescriptions, those charged may also face other connecting charges. For example, if a police officer caught someone with illegally obtained drugs, that person may be looking at a possession charge. Similarly, those with the intent to manufacture or distribute the drugs are liable for intent to traffic those drugs. 

Contact a Kane County Criminal Defense Attorney 

Prescription drug forgery, possession, and distribution crimes are serious charges in the state of Illinois. At The Law Office of Brian J. Mirandola, our criminal defense attorney Brian J. Mirandola is equipped with the knowledge and experience to help you understand your case and craft a legal defense. For a free initial consultation, call us at 847-488-0889. 

Source(s):

https://www.iwu.edu/counseling/Illinois_Drug_Laws.htm 

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072005700K406 

https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/prescription-forgery-pharmacists-role