Tucson Podiatrist Pleads Guilty to Forgery, Surrenders State License

Loren Scott Wessel

Tucson podiatrist Dr. Loren Scott Wessel pleaded guilty to Forgery, a class four felony in Pima County Superior Court this week. In September 2016, a State Grand Jury indicted Dr. Wessel on charges of Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, Acquisition of a Narcotic Drug by Fraud, and Forgery.

In June of 2016, a veterinary supply company contacted the DEA after Dr. Wessel made a purchase of more than five thousand oxycodone tablets. Investigators quickly learned Dr. Wessel was filling forged prescriptions for narcotics at a Tucson pharmacy. DEA Agents and AZAG Special Agents determined Dr. Wessel forged prescriptions for narcotics by using the name of a local doctor. Investigators believe Dr. Wessel was not providing the oxycodone to others but was writing the prescriptions to feed his own addiction.

Dr. Wessel will be sentenced on July 14, 2017. He faces 1 to 3.75 years in prison. As a condition of the plea, Dr. Wessel will voluntarily surrender his DEA license to prescribe narcotics.

About ADI Staff Reporter 12168 Articles
Under the leadership of Editor-in -Chief Huey Freeman, our team of staff reporters bring accurate,timely, and complete news coverage.