Columbia nurse pleads guilty to writing fraudulent prescriptions

Timothy Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced on Thursday that a Columbia nurse and business owner pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining prescription drugs.

Elisabeth Trumbower, 41, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty to information that charges her with obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge.

Trumbower was a registered nurse and owner of Pela Cura Anti-Aging and Wellness.

An employed radiologist claimed that Trumbower had forged his name and used his DEA registration number to fraudulently obtain prescriptions. He told investigators that a medical colleague at the Fairview Clinic had called him about prescriptions for Adderall that he had allegedly written to Trumbower. He claimed he had never written those prescriptions.

Trumbower admitted that she used the radiologist’s prescription pad, DEA number and a forged signature to obtain prescriptions of Adderall on 25 occasions, at 10 different locations.

Garrison said that the prescriptions had directions to take one one tablet, three times daily for cancer related fatigue.

Trumbower could face up to four years in federal prison without parole.

For more on previous reporting of Trumbower, click here.