Frederick Doctor Who Moved To Ecuador Indicted By Grand Jury

BALTIMORE (AP) -- A former Frederick doctor who relocated to South America after being accused by a state medical board of prescribing high dosages of OxyContin has returned to the U.S. and been indicted by a federal grand jury.

The Frederick News-Post reports that Nicola Tauraso was charged in a 2014 indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Thursday. It is not clear when Tauraso returned to the U.S.

Prosecutors say Tauraso dispensed excessive amounts of OxyContin from 2009 to 2010 to patients who did not have a legitimate medical purpose for them. He faces multiple charges, including health care fraud and involvement in a narcotics conspiracy.

Tauraso denied wrongdoing in a 2012 interview with the newspaper while speaking from Ecuador. Court records do not indicate if Tauraso has hired an attorney.