Perryopolis doctor charged with swapping pills for sex
A Perryopolis family doctor is charged with 28 counts of swapping opioid medication for sexual favors, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady.
Emilio Ramon Navarro, 58, of Coal Center was indicted on 29 charges, according to a Justice Department news release.
Between April 2018 and April 2019, Navarro unlawfully dispensed oxycodone and oxymorphone to a person identified only as “A.W.” in exchange for sexual favors, according to court papers.
Navarro also is charged with health care fraud for allegedly billing Medicaid to cover the cost of the drugs.
Navarro was arrested Monday morning and faces a hearing on Tuesday.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of unlawfully prescribing opioids, and up to 10 years for the health care fraud count.
The case was brought by the Western Pennsylvania Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit, consisting of federal prosecutors, and federal and state law enforcement.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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