Former UConn Pharmacist Forged Prescriptions: Police

The former pharmacy supervisor of UConn's Student Health Services faces 173 charges for allegedly forging prescriptions and ordering items through the pharmacy for his personal use.

Michael Olzinski, 43, was arrested last week and is free on $30,000 bond pending a May 2 court appearance. No defense lawyer was listed in online state records.

Police started investigating after an April 2015 internal audit found that a large number of diapers and other items for infants and toddlers had been ordered for no apparent reason.

The audit and police investigation also revealed that Olzinski ordered many items that were missing from inventory, including prescription drugs such as oxycodone, amphetamines, diazepam and more. Other items included baby products, such as suntan lotion and diapers, according to the arrest warrant.

Police said Olzinski forged order logs and fraudulently filled prescriptions for his own use, as well as for family and friends.

The audit and investigation found that Olzinski billed insurance companies for approximately $34,000 in phony prescriptions and cost the university about $40,000 in missing items.

Olzinski is accused of using students’ names while filling out prescriptions for personal use and trading over-the-counter medications for UConn athletic apparel, according to the arrest warrant.

When police questioned Olzinski about the discrepancies in the orders and his reports, he told police he ordered baby products for a pregnant student who had no money or support from her parents and claimed he did not charge her for them, according to the arrest warrant.

Then police showed him copies of an email from his wife that listed products they needed, including baby products.

“I thought I would help myself out too,” he said, according to the arrest warrant application. Then he allegedly admitted to ordering person products from the supplier “maybe once or twice a month.”

Olzinski was placed on administrative leave in April 2015 and retired in June 2015, according to the arrest warrant.

He has been charged with first-degree larceny, 173 counts of second-degree forgery, illegal distribution of controlled substances, illegal possession of controlled substance, obtaining controlled substances by means of fraud and deceit and failure to keep records.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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