Haverhill Man Steals Over 10,000 Oxy Tablets, AG Says
Doctor, doctor, give me the news: A Haverhill man was arraigned Thursday on more than 100 counts of prescription and credit card fraud.
Authorities believe Vincent Leo, 37, ran numerous “sophisticated schemes’’ between 2012 and 2014, using doctored copies of stolen prescription paper to obtain oxycodone tablets and posing as a physician whenever pharmacies followed up. Leo would allegedly pose as a patient or nurse when filling prescriptions and is responsible for distributing over 10,000 illegally-obtained oxycodone tablets during his two-year spree, according to a statement from Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office.
Leo also allegedly partnered with a woman named Deana Vitale, who provided him with a device that captured credit card information from customers of Copper House Tavern. Vitale is facing separate charges in Waltham District Court.
Thursday’s arraignment included the following charges:
•Identity Fraud (16 counts)
•Uttering a False Prescription (54 counts)
•Attempt to Utter a False Prescription (2 counts)
•Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substance, Class E (3 counts)
•Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substance, Class B (3 counts)
•Conspiracy to Commit Identify Fraud (18 counts)
•Credit Card Fraud (3 counts)
•Attempt to Commit Credit Card Fraud Larceny Over $250
•Larceny Under $250 (2 counts)
•Possession of an Instrument to Reproduce a Credit Card
Leo has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $50,000 bail. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 12.
“In this modern era of cybercrimes and identity theft by means of criminals using sophisticated technology to perpetrate these crimes globally, it is very rewarding for law enforcement to be able to work through the jurisdictional issues we often face with these type of crimes by working cooperatively with all of our law enforcement partners, and bring justice to the victims with a successful indictmen,’’ Haverhill Police Detective Lt. Robert Pistone said.
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