Pharmacist accused of writing fake prescriptions

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Coweta County investigators said the arrest of a pharmacist and her assistant led officials to 15,000 doses of illegal narcotics involving buyers from across the country.  

"It's mind boggling," said Eric Angel, a narcotics investigator for the Coweta County Sheriff's Office.  "Not just from an evidence standpoint, but also just the sheer scope of it. The distance people would travel to come to this little community." 

Investigators said people came from Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida to buy drugs from pharmacist Amy Matistic and her assistant, Katie Brown.  Deputies arrested the pair Friday. Both are now out on bond.
 
As investigators went through the hundreds of bottles of evidence collected, they noticed some of them were cold and sinus medications, "Just blister packs for runny noses and inhalers and nose sprays," said Angel. 

Investigators believe people got them to circumvent doctors; possibly to save money. News of the pair spread by word of mouth.
 
Investigators said Matistic wrote phony prescriptions using names of doctors she previously worked with, then overcharged clients and fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid while working at an independent pharmacy at the Summit HealthPlex and another at the Georgia Spine and Pain Care Clinic.  Both are located in Newnan on Highway 34.
 
Investigators said they will not go after those who bought the drugs. The buyers will likely serve as witnesses in the case, which also involved Georgia's Drug and Narcotics Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services.
 
In all, investigators said they collected 14 large boxes of medications.

WSBTV