Attorney for former ND doctor asks for probation

The lawyer for a former North Dakota doctor accused in an Internet prescription fraud case says his client should not go to prison.

Authorities say Enrique Rivera-Mass illegally signed off on prescriptions for nearly 1.8 million pills that were sold online. He has pleaded guilty in federal court.

Court documents show that Rivera-Mass became involved with Internet pharmacies several years ago in his native Puerto Rico and continued while he was working in Grand Forks in 2009.

His attorney is asking for a sentence of probation. He says Rivera-Mass has no criminal history, has cooperated with authorities, and has suffered for his wrongdoings.

Prosecutors say most of the prescriptions were for weight loss drugs, primarily phentermine, but also included sleep and anxiety medications, painkillers and the smoking cessation drug Chantix.

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