Prosecutor: Jefferson Woman Pretended to Work at Doc Office to Get Pain Killers

A Jefferson woman was indicted Tuesday for pretending to work at a doctor's office and fraudulently obtaining prescription painkillers under a child's name, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said.

Eileen Grella, 44, was indicted on 10 counts of third-degree insurance fraud and 10 counts of fourth-degree charges of obtaining a prescription drug by fraud, the prosecutor's office said.

Grella allegedly posed as a physician's employee 11 separate times between October 2012 and March 2013, when she called refills for Tramadol in to the Rockaway Township ShopRite pharmacy, according to an investigation by Acting Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Rockaway Township Police Chief Walt Ardin.

The fraud was revealed when the ShopRite pharmacist called the doctor's office after the 11th attempt at a refill for Tramadol and found Grella had allegedly faked the phone calls.

Tramadol, also known as Ultram, is a narcotic-like painkiller used to treat moderate to severe pain, but is not classified as a controlled dangerous substance under either Federal or New Jersey law, Knapp's office said in a release.

Grella also allegedly charged the Tramadol prescriptions to her ex-husband's health insurance account. The account, which Grella didn't have access to, was under a child's name who was covered under the insurance plan, the prosecutor's office said.

Knapp's office said Grella paid the insurance co-payment when she picked up the drugs, while the ShopRite pharmacy applied to the ex-husband's insurance plan.