Romanowski Faces Felony
Douglas County authorities are recommending that felony criminal charges be filed against Denver Broncos star linebacker Bill Romanowski, claiming he used fraud to get access to a controlled drug, Douglas County authorities said Thursday.
An attorney for Romanowski denied the charges, and said Romanowski would fight the charges.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said it is recommending that felony criminal charges be filed against Romanowski, along with his wife, Julie, another woman and a Littleton doctor, over alleged misuse of the drug Phentermine.
The drug is usually prescribed to help severely obese people lose weight. But it also acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system.
Sgt. Attila Denes, a sheriff's spokesman, said Julie Romanowski and the other woman obtained prescriptions from the doctor and then gave the Phentermine to Bill Romanowski for his personal use.
The Romanowskis, who live in Douglas County, could not be reached. A spokesman for the Denver Broncos declined to comment.
The sheriff's office conducted the investigation along with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Authorities identified the doctor as Randall L. Snook, 39. The other woman was identified as Lorretta K. Johnson, 35.
None of the four suspects has been arrested.
Instead, the sheriff's office said it has submitted the results of its investigation to the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office.
Bill Romanowski faces felony charges of fraud and deceit, conspiracy, and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful use of a controlled substance.
Julie Romanowski and Johnson face felony charges of fraud and deceit, as well as conspiracy.
Snook faces the same charges along with a felony charge of unlawful acts and a charge of unlawful dispensing of a controlled substance.
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