Ex-Ridgewood Surgeon Facing Drug Charges

Prosecutors say Dr. Mary Ann Benigno wrote faulty prescriptions, doled out oxycodone, amphetamine salts and other drugs to patients but kept some for personal use.

A breast cancer surgeon who formerly worked in Ridgewood is facing drug charges following a five-month investigation, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli announced Thursday. Authorities claim Dr. Mary Ann Benigno, 52, of Saddle River, improperly wrote and dispensed prescriptions for hydrocodone, oxycodone, amphetamine salts and methylphenidate for patients from January through November of this year. Methylphenidate and amphetamine are used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.  Licensed to practice medicine in both New York and New Jersey, Benigno is accused of picking the drugs up at a Rochelle Park pharmacy, distributing some to patients while keeping an unspecified …

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