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Doctor convicted on 8 of 12 counts; acquitted of smuggling

SCRANTON (AP) - A northeastern Pennsylvania doctor has been acquitted of smuggling drugs into a northeastern Pennsylvania county jail but convicted on eight other counts including drug delivery resulting in death and insurance fraud.

The (Scranton) Times-Tribune (http://bit.ly/1MbQ0gk ) reports that 46-year-old Stephanie Tarapchak showed no emotion as the Lackawanna County jury's decision was read Tuesday following six hours of deliberation.

The Schuylkill County osteopath was charged with writing illegal prescriptions for herself and others who were hooked on painkillers and anxiety drugs. Judge John Braxton threw out the drug smuggling charge, citing a lack of evidence.

Defense attorney Bernard Brown argued that the offenses were due to sloppy record-keeping. He said he was disappointed with the conviction on the charge of drug delivery resulted in death but respected the jury's decision.

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Information from: The Times-Tr ibune,

http://thetimes-tribune.com/