Suspended MN Doctor Pleads Guilty To Stealing Prescription Drugs

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 43-year-old suspended Pelican Rapids doctor has pleaded guilty to obtaining Hydrocodone, Oxycodone and other prescription drugs by writing and filling fraudulent prescriptions, the United States Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

Blaire Nelson specifically pleaded guilty to obtaining a controlled substance by fraud before Judge Susan Nelson in United States District Court in St. Paul.

According to Nelson's guilty plea and court documents, Nelson wrote prescriptions to various pharmacies in Minnesota for opioids. He wrote them so they could be filled in the names of members of his family and friends, but he picked up the drugs for his own use.

Between May 2013 and September 2014, he attempting to obtain at least 1,730 prescription pills for his own use. He continued to write prescriptions even after his medical license was suspended on Oct. 8, 2013, according to his guilty plea and court documents.

"Prescription drug diversion is an ongoing threat to both public safety and public health," U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said. "Working closely with colleagues at the Drug Enforcement Administration and in local law enforcement, we are clamping down on prescription drug fraud and abuse."

The case is a result of a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation.