SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A Seminole County woman is in custody after police said she used fake names and documents to steal prescription drugs from South Seminole Hospital at least 11 times.
Barbara Cupp was arrested and faces five charges, including grand theft and fraud, authorities said. Over the weekend, police got a call from a hospital official who told them a woman named Barbara James wanted painkillers. She allegedly handed the hospital official a passport bearing the name Barbara Jackson. But police discovered her real name was Barbara Cupp.
Longwood police told WFTV reporter Tim Barber the thefts have been going on for months. WFTV learned Cupp used a different name every time she went to the hospital for prescription pain pills for same physical complaint.
Cupp made up fake Social Security numbers and dates of birth to get the prescriptions, police said.
After her arrest, Cupp admitted to the fraud and said she had a major drug problem, detectives said.
Barber went by the address Cupp gave police, but the person who answered the door had never heard of her.
Officials at Orlando Health, which owns South Seminole Hospital, would not comment on how someone could get pain pills 11 times from the hospital by using fake information, before getting caught. Officials released this statement in response: "This is an active and ongoing investigation and is now a police matter. We are fully cooperating with the Longwood Police Department."
In September, Gov. Rick Scott launched a database to track prescription drug purchases. Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials told WFTV that because Cupp provided a different fake name every time she got the painkillers, the database may not have alerted officials to the fraud.
WFTV
