Jail-Time for Woman Who Posed as Doctor, Called-In Fake Scripts

Prosecutors in District Attorney General Charme P. Allen’s White Collar Unit are sending Honey M. Rice, 35, to jail after she posed as a doctor to obtain fraudulent prescriptions from multiple Knox County pharmacies. Rice’s prosecution illustrates Allen’s emphasis on attacking the prescription drug problem that is currently plaguing the nation.”Prescription pill abuse is a nationwide problem, but the problem has to be attacked locally,” Allen stated.”If you decide to conduct pill operations inside Knox County, you can expect to go to jail.”

Prosecutor Bill Bright detailed Rice’s scheme in court proceedings today before Judge Steve Sword. Rice assumed the name and DEA number of an actual doctor to”phone-in” fake prescriptions for large amounts of Hydrocodone and Alprazolam. Surveillance footage showed Rice later picking up these fraudulent prescriptions from the pharmacies. Rice’s ruse was uncovered by a multi-agency effort, including Investigator Brandon Glover of the Knoxville Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit and Special Agent Jeremy Weaver of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Office of Inspector General.

Rice will spend one year in jail, followed by five years of supervised probation. Importantly, these convictions qualify Rice as a”career” felony offender, meaning that she will receive the toughest sentences allowable under Tennessee law should she reoffend. Rice’s prosecution is the most recent from Allen’s newly-created White Collar Unit. Allen created the White Collar Unit shortly after she took office specifically to handle complex prosecutions involving fraud.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.