New Rochelle doctor pleads guilty to distributing oxycodone for cash

A Westchester doctor admitted taking cash to prescribe thousands of oxycodone, amphetamine and Xanax pills without any medical tests.

Dr. Mordechai Bar, an internist with a practice in New Rochelle, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in White Plains to distributing oxycodone and other controlled substances.

“Dr. Mordechai Bar hid behind his medical license by prescribing oxycodone without a legitimate medical need,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement announcing Bar’s guilty plea. “Like any drug dealer, he distributed highly addictive substances on the streets for profit, without any regard for the impact on the community.”

Oxycodone is a highly addictive opioid used as a painkiller. Amphetamine, commonly prescribed as Adderall, is a stimulant that treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Alprazolam, prescribed as Xanax, is a benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. According to the complaint, the three drugs are often referred to as the “Holy Trinity” cocktail, favored by oxycodone abusers because of their cumulative chemical effects, and the risk of fatal overdose is increased by the combination of the opioid and benzodiazepine.

The DEA held record meetings between drug dealers and Mordechai Bar

DEA agents’ investigation into Bar began early last year when a drug dealer seeking leniency in his own criminal case detailed how he had been visiting Bar for a decade to obtain prescriptions for three drugs in the name of the dealer and their parents.

From February 2023 through April of this year, agents contracted the dealer to secretly record Bar during monthly visits to obtain prescriptions in these three names, as well as in the undercover agent’s false name. The complaint states that none of the visits included any medical examinations and typically lasted less than five minutes. The dealership paid Bar about $500 for each visit, sometimes paying employees an additional amount if it issued prescriptions without Bara meeting with the dealer.

Monthly prescriptions typically included more than 900 Oxycodone pills, 180 Adderall pills and more than 300 Xanax pills.

Bar, 71, of Larchmont, faces up to 20 years in prison, although sentencing guidelines in his case call for a sentence of 46 to 57 months. He agreed not to appeal any judgment to this extent or below. U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel set sentencing for Feb. 18.

This article originally appeared on the Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New Rochelle doctor pleads guilty to selling oxycodone prescription drugs