Ex-Children's doctor charged with writing bogus prescriptions

A 42-year-old former pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has been charged by federal prosecutors with writing herself nearly 500 phony prescriptions for pills containing oxycodone.

Cynthia Masso, who worked at Children's from 2011 until last year, was charged March 10 by criminal information with five counts of writing fraudulent prescriptions from January 2010 till October 2013 in the names of unwitting family members, as well as in the names of fictitious patients.

Masso personally obtained the drugs at pharmacies by posing as a nurse named "Lisa Johns." Prosecutors did not elaborate on why she allegedly was obtaining the pills. Masso faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, but being charged by information typically means that a plea deal has been struck. - Robert Moran