Souderton physician, 76, and son charged with overprescribing opiates

A Souderton physician accused of "creating a generation of drug addicts" in northern Montgomery County turned himself in Thursday to authorities.

Prosecutors allege Richard Ruth, 76, wrote nearly 1,800 prescriptions between May 2010 and April for highly addictive medications such as oxycodone and Percocet and put them in the hands of addicts, street-level drug dealers, and patients who later overdosed.

The accusations come six years after he voluntarily gave up his license to prescribe medicine during a similar investigation into allegations that he was recklessly handing out drugs.

Ruth now faces charges including prescription and insurance fraud, identity theft, and prescribing medications to addicted patients. His son Michael Ruth, who worked as a medical assistant in his father's practice, was also charged.

"The most basic principle in medicine is, 'First, do no harm,' " Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said Thursday, announcing the doctor's arrest. "Dr. Ruth did nothing but harm. He created a generation of drug addicts and helped feed their addiction."

Ruth's attorney, John L. Walfish, defended his client as a faithful doctor with more than five decades of service.

"He was doing the very best for his patients," the lawyer said.

Prescription-drug addiction has become an increasing problem in the North Penn and Indian Valley communities of Montgomery and Bucks Counties, detectives said. Telford police have responded in the last year to at least 10 opiate overdoses.

Investigators were surprised to learn just how many prescription pills involved in medical emergencies, drug deals, and petty crimes could be traced to Ruth's practice.

Ruth first drew law enforcement attention when street-level informants began mentioning him as the go-to source for prescription pain medication, according to the probable-cause affidavit in the case.

One stated he could obtain large amounts of oxycodone from Ruth with only a 10-minute doctor's visit and without providing medical records or identification. Another said she filled prescriptions for more than 1,000 oxycodone pills in less than a year after repeated visits to Ruth.

The doctor rarely questioned the excuses his patients offered when they showed up early for prescription renewal, the informants told police. In one case described in court filings, Ruth allegedly gave two refills in one month to a patient who said her dog had twice gotten into her medicine cabinet.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Department of State - which regulates professional licensing - had also received calls from pharmacists concerned about the number of oxycodone prescriptions coming from Ruth's practice.

In February, a 30-year-old mother of two was found dead in her Perkasie apartment. Next to her body lay a hypodermic needle and one oxycodone pill allegedly prescribed by Ruth.

Relatives of other patients described pleading with the doctor to stop writing prescriptions for their addicted loved ones. He allegedly continued, saying he didn't want them to suffer withdrawal symptoms.

One female patient, 42, who was described in court filings, allegedly begged Ruth to stop her prescriptions because her addiction had grown so severe that social services had removed her grandchild from her care. The doctor purportedly insisted she continue taking the drugs, describing oxycodone use as her only viable treatment option.

On Aug. 30, detectives conducted a raid of Ruth's practice and found the business in deplorable condition.

In the basement of a house converted for Ruth's practice, the office's dank and cluttered environs surprised investigators. A hand-scrawled sign on one door warned patients they had to pay up front in cash.

And even as detectives combed the office, clearly intoxicated patients arrived - oblivious to the search - hoping to get a fix, prosecutors said.

"What we saw that day was astounding," Ferman said. "Patients were coming in to the office - stumbling in - with no idea what was going on. They needed their drugs."

When confronted, Ruth purportedly defended his decisions. He gave his patients whatever they needed so "they could get to work, pay their taxes, and would not collect welfare, which costs us all money," he is quoted as saying in court filings.

Despite losing his license to prescribe medicine in 2005, Ruth earned it back in 2009 and reopened his practice, hoping to recoup money he had lost in the intervening years and the nearly $600,000 he told detectives his wife had lost in a Nigerian e-mail fraud scam.

Ruth and his son were released on personal-recognizance bonds after a court hearing Thursday. They are expected back in court for a preliminary hearing Nov. 9.