A Washington County woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to participating in a forged prescription drug operation throughout Western Pennsylvania.
Marcie Neal, 28, of Carroll Township was sentenced yesterday by Westmoreland County Judge John Blahovec to two to four years in prison and 10 years of probation.
Neal was charged with participating in a corrupt organization. Prosecutors said she was a major player in a group of 18 people who forged prescriptions and purchased painkillers and other controlled drugs in Westmoreland, Washington, Allegheny and Fayette counties.
Prosecutors said Neal served as second in command for the group that was led by Barbara Dodson of Rostraver.
According to court records, Dodson and Neal used a personal computer and a printer to make fake prescriptions for pain medications and used a group of friends to drive them to pharmacies throughout the region between February and July 2009.
The drugs were purchased at pharmacies in Greensburg, Irwin, Brownsville, Connellsville and Monongahela.
On each forged prescription, Dodson replaced the doctor's office phone number with a prepaid mobile phone number, police said. She took calls on that phone from suspicious pharmacists, according to a state grand jury presentment.
In October, Dodson pleaded guilty to 24 drug counts. As part of a negotiated deal, she was sentenced by Judge Debra Pezze to serve three to six years in prison.
In December, Neal was scheduled to plead guilty to similar charges and to be sentenced to 11 1/2 to 23 months in jail. Judge Al Bell rejected that deal as too lenient.
The new deal finalized yesterday includes more jail time but came after Neal was arrested again for running a similar operation last year in Washington County, according to Deputy Attorney General Tomm Mutschler.
"She re-offended after that hearing. It was on a smaller level, but that case is still pending," Mutschler said.
In March, Neal was charged by the state police with forging prescriptions and obtaining painkillers from a pharmacy in Donora.
