A very disturbing identity theft case where if the charges are true, impacted medical care.
CHICAGO — An alleged con man has been charged in federal court with holding himself out as a psychiatrist and fraudulently prescribing medications to a nine-year-old child and dozens of others.
SCOTT C. REDMAN, 36, used the identity of an Illinois physician to see patients and prescribe medications at a clinic on Chicago’s Near North Side, according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The real physician is a resident at a different Illinois medical facility.
Redman used the physician’s name to prescribe 71 prescriptions to 44 individuals from Dec. 10, 2015, to Jan. 30, 2016, according to the complaint. The purported patients included a nine-year-old child, who was prescribed a 30-day supply of Vyvanse, which treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the complaint states.
Redman, formerly of Hammond, Ind., was arrested Wednesday. The complaint charges him with intentionally using a fictitious registration number in the name of another person to distribute and dispense a controlled substance. The charge is punishable by up to four years in prison.
Redman appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole and was ordered held in federal custody. A detention hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2016, at 10:00 a.m.
According to the complaint, Redman maintained office hours at the clinic to treat his supposed patients. A purported profile of Redman on the clinic’s website contained the name of the real physician, alongside a photograph of Redman and fraudulent biographical and educational information, according to the complaint.
In addition to the Vyvanse, Redman prescribed other controlled substances, including Adderall, Clonazepam and Zolpidem Tartrate, the complaint states.
The complaint was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Dennis A. Wichern, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie M. Durick.
SOURCE: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois