Shore Doctor Admits Role In Prescription Med Ring

A Fair Haven doctor who confessed to a role in a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone illegally awaits a January sentencing. She could be given as much as 20 years in prison and fined up to $1,000,000.

Jacqueline Lopresti, 52, admitted in a Trenton federal courtroom today that she wrote illegal prescriptions for drugs containing oxycodone, such as Oxtycontin, Percocet and Roxidcodone, that were filled at pharmacies in Ocean, Monmouth and Atlantic Counties in 2009. Those who had the prescriptions filled passed them on to others for redistribution, federal prosecutors asserted.

The drug is considered a Schedule II controlled substance, meaning that it carries a high potential for abuse that ultimately places the user at risk of psychological or physical dependence.

Lopresti pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and 11 counts of distributing oxycodone. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 30.