Former Mount Vernon Cop Accused Of Forging Prescriptions To Get Vicodin
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A former Mount Vernon police officer was arrested and charged Monday with using a forged prescription to get Vicodin.
Former officer Joseph Russo, 49, was arrested following an eight-month investigation by the Mount Vernon Police Internal Affairs Unit, police said.
He was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument and a scheme to defraud.
Russo allegedly received Vicodin after handing a forged prescription slip to pharmacists at a Mount Vernon drugstore, police said.
Police claimed Russo stole prescription pads from two doctors and fraudulently signed their names to receive about 3,700 Vicodin pills.
A handcuff key was also found hidden inside Russo's tie during a body search when he was arrested, police said. He was released from custody after an arraignment in Mount Vernon City Court.
Russo had been with the department for 15 years before he left on July 28, after being suspended for allegedly engaging in the conduct that later resulted in his arrest, police said.
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