AURORA | A former high-ranking doctor at The Children’s Hospital in Aurora pleaded guilty Wednesday to prescription drug fraud after investigators say he illegally acquiring thousands of pills.
According to a statement from the United States attorney’s office in Denver, Dr. Louis Hampers pleaded guilty to 14 counts of obtaining a controlled substance, Hydrocodone by misrepresentation, fraud, deception or subterfuge.
At sentencing in October, Hampers faces up to four years in prison on each count.
As part of the plea agreement, Hampers agreed to relinquish his medical license and not seek one in the future.
Hampers was arrested last fall in Virginia on more than 650 charges after a federal grand jury indicted him Aug. 26.
According to a statement from federal prosecutors, Hampers conspired with others to acquire generic Vicodin and generic Ambien. Hampers is also accused of 654 counts of fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance, including generic Vicodin, generic Ambien, generic Valium, and in one instance, generic Ritalin.
In total, federal prosecutors say Hampers illegally obtained over 20,000 tablets of Hydrocodone at multiple different pharmacies using five different aliases and eight different patient names.
A hospital spokeswoman said last fall that Hampers was head of pediatric emergency services at the hospital and left the Children’s in March 2010.
Hampers, who appeared in person at Wednesday’s hearing, is on 24-hour home detention.
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