TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) announced that a Passaic County doctor was charged with selling prescriptions for highly addictive prescription painkillers without a legitimate medical purpose.
Officials say Dr. Mahesh Mehta, 65, who practices family medicine in Paterson, was indicted on a charge of second-degree unlawful dispensing of controlled dangerous substances.
The indictment was handed up by a state Grand Jury in Trenton on Monday.
Mehta allegedly sold prescriptions for Percocet, a Schedule II opioid pain medication.
The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000.
Deputy Attorney General Fernando D. Maldonado presented the case to the grand jury. Detective Celeste Dowd coordinated the investigation.