BALTIMORE DENTIST GUILTY OF INSURANCE FRAUD

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that a Baltimore City dentist has pleaded guilty to felony insurance fraud and the unlawful prescribing of controlled dangerous substances.

Dr. Charles D. Bowie, Jr., D.D.S., of the 4200 block of Liberty Heights Avenue was sentenced by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock to a three year sentence. The incarceration was suspended and Bowie was placed on probation for five years, during which time he must pay $8,436.82 in restitution and a fine of $16,873.64.

An investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General revealed that Dr. Bowie committed insurance fraud by repeatedly writing prescriptions for the powerful narcotic Oxycontin when he knew that the drug was to be used by a person other than the patient whose name was on the prescriptions.

Bowie began prescribing Oxycontin for a medical condition by properly writing prescriptions on which she was the named patient. However, that changed when she began requesting new prescriptions in very short periods of time. Because finishing the pills in such a short time violated the normal dosage for the narcotic, her insurer would not pay for the new prescriptions until more time had passed. Therefore, so that the patient would not have to pay for the prescriptions out-of-pocket, Bowie began prescribing the Oxycontin in the name of the patient's husband and daughter. He did this despite being aware that the patient would be taking the medication. In total, Bowie wrote at least 55 prescriptions for Oxycontin and related narcotics for use by the patient but prescribed in other people's names.

As part of the plea agreement, Dr. Bowie agreed to surrender his Drug Enforcement Certificate of Registration, so that he may no longer prescribe controlled dangerous substances as part of his dental practice.

This case was prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of Maryland Attorney General's Office.

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