ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Dr. Paul Biddle, a 54-year-old doctor from Amherst, pleaded guilty to identity theft and the unlawful possession of a controlled substance, hydromorphone, on Monday in U.S. District Court.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Biddle was an anesthesiologist and pain management doctor in Orchard Park who also ran a medical marijuana practice.
Between February 9, 2015, and October 16, 2017, he prescribed controlled substances for two dead patients to obtain those substances himself. In the first case, he wrote 10 prescriptions using the patient's name and date of birth; in the second case, he wrote 23 prescriptions using the patient's name and date of birth.
All of the prescriptions were filled by a pharmacy in Tampa, Fla., and shipped directly to Biddle's home or office.
