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Yonkers Doctor Charged In Prescription Pill Scam

YONKERS, N.Y. – A Yonkers cardiologist doled out thousands of powerful painkillers and even used the pills to barter with patients to get their permission to cheat insurance companies by billing for nonexistent tests, federal investigators say.

"As alleged, Rohan Wijetilaka was a corrupt physician who used his medical license to dole out prescriptions for highly addictive narcotics, in exchange for cash from his patients, or for reimbursement by their insurers for services never rendered," Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a news release.

Rohan Wijetilaka, 64, was charged Thursday in federal court in White Plains with distribution of oxycodone and conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. He was released on $200,000 bond. If convicted, Wijetilaka could face up to 20 years in prison.

The doctor was arrested Wednesday night in his Manhattan apartment by officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration. FBI agents joined Yonkers police and DEA agents Thursday morning in a raid of Wijetilaka’s office at 944 N. Broadway in Yonkers.

Police said the charges stemmed from an investigation that began in September after the Yonkers Police Department received complaints from pharmacies that Wijetilaka was writing an unusually high number of prescriptions for painkillers.

Yonkers police received more than 30 complaints since 2006, according to court documents. In 2007, the department also began to field complaints about the scam of trading pills for permission to submit fraudulent bills, court documents say.

"Between 2007 and 2011, several of Wijetilaka's patients reported to the Yonkers Police Department that Wijetilaka sold prescription drugs in exchange for patients allowing Wijetilaka to bill their insurance providers for unnecessary tests," Guy Repicky, an agent with the Westchester County DEA Task Force, said in court documents.

Investigators said Wijetilaka continued to write prescriptions and hand out thousands of oxycodone pills even after his medical license was suspended this month.

On July 3, the doctor's license was suspended by the New York State Office of Professional Misconduct and Physician Discipline after the board found him guilty of negligence and gross incompetence, among other things, earlier this year.

In its report, the board said that Wijetilaka billed for services he didn't provide and that his poor treatment led to one patient's death.

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