D.A. Rice: Woodmere dentist ‘abused position’

A Woodmere dentist apparently abused the painkillers he obtained by using prescriptions he wrote and filled in the names of his friends and former patients, according to the office of Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. The D.A. also said the dentist treated patients while on the drugs he was addicted to.

Woodmere resident Dr. Russell Barber, 54, whose office is in Brooklyn, is charged with four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and eight violations of the New York Public Health Law for writing the phony prescriptions. He is also charged with four counts of criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance, as part of an ongoing investigation. Barber faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted.

“Dr. Barber abused his position,” Rice said. “Medical professionals are in positions of public trust and that’s what makes this betrayal of the community so egregious.”

The district attorney’s office and the Nassau County Police Department have been investigating Barber for the past three years for writing the prescriptions for painkillers in names other than his own, and then filling the prescriptions himself, often at Pen-Mill Pharmacy in Hewlett, Rice said. She added that Barber continued to treat patients despite his prescription painkiller addiction. A search warrant revealed empty pill bottles in Barber’s office, where he treated patients.

The investigation into Barber began as a spin-off of an investigation into the illegal sale of drugs at Pen-Mill Pharmacy, according to the D.A.’s office. In that case, pharmacist and owner Robert Rochford pleaded guilty to forgery and drug charges.

Neither Barber nor his lawyer could be reached for comment.