Westmoreland County doctor arrested for allegedly writing illegal prescriptions

MURRYSVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) - A Westmoreland County doctor was arrested for allegedly writing prescriptions in exchange for some of the pills and continuing to fill and pick up the prescriptions without the patients knowing, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office announced on Wednesday. 

Dr. Jessie Kunkel of Murrysville is facing a slew of charges including controlled substance by fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge and other drug charges. 

The attorney general's office said their investigation revealed that since 2018, Kunkel prescribed drugs like Adderall and Xanax and took a portion for herself in exchange for writing the prescription. In several cases, investigators said Kunkel continued to write, fill and pick up prescriptions for herself when the patients were no longer receiving them.

She's also accused of prescribing drugs for people she knew without ever evaluating them as a patient, "often overlooking potential health risks," the attorney general's office said. 

"As a medical professional, Dr. Kunkel was trusted to care for her patients and her community," said Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry in a press release. "She violated that trust when she used her patients' identities to gain access to drugs for her own recreational use. Our office will hold accountable any healthcare professional who takes advantage of their position and puts people's safety at risk."