Contacted By A Narcotics Agent From The Office Of Attorney General
Contacted By A Narcotics Agent From The Office Of Attorney General
Are you a Nurse who has been contacted by a Narcotics Agent from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office? If so, you know that the Agent will ask you to schedule a meeting with them to just talk about something that they likely will not disclose until the meeting. Please understand that a Narcotics Agent is law enforcement just like the police, and this “talk” will typically involve issues like unaccounted for narcotics, diversion (or theft) of narcotics, or some other serious matter.
These Narcotics Agents are generally very nice and polite and will show you their state Identification and badge and tell you that no criminal charges have been filed against you. Many Nurses will feel morally compelled to schedule that meeting. What they will not tell you is your right to have a lawyer present for this meeting, or NOT to answer any questions. An Agent will want to question you about, for example, information that they received from a hospital about missing narcotic “waste” to see if you will admit to taking it. Or perhaps the pharmacy has performed an audit and the volume of narcotics you withdraw from the dispensing machine is abnormally high and the Agent will ask you if you are using these narcotics instead of administering to patients. This is called a “Confession” and will be used to charge and convict you.
Do NOT talk to a Narcotics Agent – or any other police or law enforcement – until you talk to a lawyer first! And if you’re a Nurse, make sure that this lawyer specializes in both criminal defense and defense of Nurses before the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing. These two areas of law are not the same, and do not allow any lawyer to tell you differently; unless a lawyer practices regularly in Nursing Board-related cases, they are not an expert.
I am Attorney Joseph Paletta, and I specialize in representing Nurses who are being investigated and prosecuted by the police and by the Board of Nursing for activities such as this. I have the experience and qualifications to defend Nurses both in criminal prosecutions and in investigations and license prosecutions before the Nursing Board. Before you talk to anyone else, you would be wise to talk to me first.
Let me be the “Solution to your Licensing Problem.” Contact me at 412.391.7999 or
joseph@palettalaw.com for a free consultation.