Nassau County dentist Russell Barber was arrested in 2009 for criminal sale of prescription for a controlled substance. According to the criminal complaint, Barber, a drug addict, had been writing out prescriptions for painkillers in other peoples’ names and then filling the prescriptions himself.
Last week, Dr. Barber pleaded guilty in diversion court in Nassau County. Barber will be allowed to enter the “diversion program” established in 2009 by a change to NYS Rockefeller Drug Laws. Under the new law, criminal court judges, in their discretion, may send non-violent drug addicts to treatment instead of jailing them. Barber now has to complete an 18 months drug rehabilitation program under court supervision. Barber also had to surrender his dental license as part of the plea.