MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II announced Wednesday that Tressie M. Duffy, 44, of Martinsburg, was indicted on 100 felony counts alleging that she aided and abetted the distribution of narcotic controlled substances.
The indictment alleges that Duffy signed blank prescription orders and then allowed employees at her medical practice to issue the prescriptions without being seen by a physician, all in violation of federal law.
Duffy is alleged to have issued 157 prescriptions for prescription painkillers to 96 patients outside the course of professional practice, Ihlenfield’s office alleges.
Duffy is the co-owner of West Virginia Weight and Wellness, located at 37 Veronica Drive in Martinsburg. She was indicted along with two others – Amanda Clark, 29, of Martinsburg, who is an office assistant at West Virginia Weight and Wellness, and Tracie Colbert, 33, of Martinsburg, who is an employee of AIT Laboratories.
Duffy, Clark and Colbert are each alleged to have aided and abetted the distribution of Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Methadone and Methylphenidate, which are controlled substances, federal authorities allege.
Duffy and her two co-defendants face up to 20 years in prison on each count, along with a fine of up to $1 million. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul T. Camilletti and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The state board of medicine recently filed a complaint against Duffy, alleging she is not fit to practice medicine.
The complaint filed by the board in July alleges, among other misdeeds, that Duffy pre-signed prescription pads and directed non-physician staff to prescribe controlled substances while she wasn’t in the office and that she exposed her breasts to staff and patients after she underwent augmentation surgery.
Her attorney has denied those allegations and any wrongdoing on behalf of Duffy.
