Doctor at Children’s Hospital held on 655-count prescription-fraud indictment

A federal grand jury has indicted a prominent Children's Hospital physician on 655 counts of prescription fraud based on allegations he operated an elaborate scheme to obtain tens of thousands of pain and sleeping pills using fake names and unwitting patients.

Dr. Louis C. Hampers, a specialist in pediatric emergency medicine at Children's and a faculty member at the University of Colorado, was arrested by federal investigators Tuesday in Virginia, the latest step in a months-long investigation.

The indictment accuses him of using five aliases — each with a fake identification card — to fill the bulk of the prescriptions. He is also accused of writing prescriptions for three other people that were actually for himself.