foolsgold
Bluelighter
A pharmacist at CVS in Mountainhome was arrested Thursday after he delivered a controlled substance to a confidential informant, according to police.
Frank Mordente, 64, of Tobyhanna, was arrested by members of the Office of Attorney General and Barrett Township Police. He was charged with delivery of a controlled substance, obstructing administration of law or other governmental function and hindering apprehension or prosecution.
Mordente has worked as a pharmacist for more than 30 years.
He was arrested during a traffic stop, after he delivered Diazepam, also known as Valium, to a confidential informant in the Cresco area. During the arrest and search of his vehicle, several bags containing prescriptions and controlled substances were recovered.
According to the criminal complaint, Mordente knew people were coming into the pharmacy with illegal prescriptions and did not turn them into the police.
In conjunction with Mordente's arrest, agents of the Office of Attorney General and CVS corporate officials, initiated an immediate audit of the store's records and scheduled narcotics for security purposes.
CVS released the following statement this afternoon, "We are fully cooperating with the authorities in their investigation of a pharmacist who was employed by CVS/pharmacy. His alleged activities are a violation of our values, our policies and our commitment to prevent prescription fraud and he is no longer employed by our company. It is important to note that patient safety was never jeopardized in this matter."
Magistrate John D Whitesell of Mountainhome set bail at $125,000. Mordente posted bail on Friday, according to court records.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday April 18.
