Woman charged with prescription drug fraud

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 1, 2009

A woman wanted for prescription fraud turned herself in to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office Monday.
Denise Newman, a former employee of Dr. Beverly Broadwell, is in the Rowan County Detention Center under $250,000 bond.
In May 2008, the Sheriff’s Office began investigating Newman for fraudulent prescription practices. Between Feb. 3 and April 30, 2008, while still an employee of Broadwell, a dentist whose office is at 1921 Concord Lake Road, Kannapolis, Newman allegedly called in numerous fraudulent prescriptions for hydrocodone for various family members, using Broadwell’s DEA number. These prescriptions were filled at the Walgreens pharmacy at 1505 E. Innes St., Salisbury.
Newman has been charged with four counts of trafficking in opium, four counts of obtaining controlled substances through fraud and 22 counts of embezzling controlled substances. Newman, 43, of 1305 Allison Court, has a first appearance in court today.