Mount Vernon: Ex-cop charged with forging prescriptions

A former Mount Vernon police officer cleared this year of allegedly falsifying overtime surrendered to his old colleagues Monday for an arraignment on new charges he used forged prescriptions to obtain at least 3,790 hydrocodone pills, authorities said.

Joseph Russo, who lives in Putnam County, did not enter a plea and was released on his own recognizance after appearing in Mount Vernon City Court, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office said.

Between February 2011 and July 2013, authorities say Russo used stolen prescriptions pads, forged the signatures of at least two physicians and falsely listed Russo or his wife, who is not charged, as the patients.

He then allegedly filled the prescriptions at pharmacies in Mount Vernon and elsewhere, paying for them in part by filing false claims with his medical insurance provider, United Health Group. The insurer, Express Scripts, became suspicious and contacted police, leading to the investigation.

Russo's attorney, Andrew Quinn, said he and his client were told about the allegations last week and arranged for Russo to surrender Monday.

Russo, 48, is charged with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and first-degree scheme to defraud. He faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.

Shari Harris, special assistant to the Mayor Ernie Davis, said in a statement that Russo resigned from the force in July after he was suspended in connection with the allegations that ultimately led to his arrest. She also said that police officers discovered a handcuff key hidden inside Russo's tie when he surrendered at police headquarters.

Russo, who worked for the department for 15 years, was acquitted by a jury in March of filing false overtime claims. Jurors rejected the prosecution's case that Russo illegally collected about $500 for more than a dozen hours of overtime he hadn't worked in 2012.

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