Man pleads guilty in Ohio prescription drug case

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio pharmacist accused of illegally dispensing prescription painkillers has pleaded guilty to three counts of a 229-count drug and money laundering indictment.

Harold Fletcher agreed as part of his plea never to seek reinstatement as a pharmacist and to provide information to the government about illegal drug prescribing.

The 42-year-old Fletcher pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to illegally dispensing a prescription drug, filing a false tax return and hiding money by making cash deposits under a limit that triggers automatic bank review.

Fletcher told U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson he had screwed up by not asking a patient enough questions before prescribing 480 tablets of oxycodone in February 2006.

The deal calls for a prison sentence of no more than two years.