Medical assistant charged with fraud, bilking boss’ practice

A doctor’s medical assistant faces federal charges of fraudulently obtaining prescription drugs and bilking her boss’ practice of about $32,000 over the past two years.

An indictment accuses Tracy Florez, 40, of paying 74 personal debts using the doctor’s signature stamp on checks drawn on the medical practice’s bank accounts.

Florez also is accused of creating at least 94 prescriptions for hydrocodone, a pain killer, and phentermine, a diet drug, in the name of her husband, David Florez, who died April 9.

While the indictment doesn’t detail how Florez is thought to have obtained the prescriptions, it does note she wasn’t authorized to prescribe medication or to use the doctor’s prescription pads or signature stamp to create prescriptions for herself or family members.

Florez is accused in the 45-count indictment of bank fraud, possession of a controlled substance and aiding and abetting a crime.

Florez worked for the doctor, a gynecologist, from July 1998 to around March 31.

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