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Ex-Watertown officer pleads guilty to passing false prescriptions

WATERTOWN, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A 58-year-old retired Watertown police officer pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to using another person's identity to receive oxycodone.

Joseph Deignan was convicted of unlawful possession of a controlled substance by fraud and fraud in connection with identification documents.

Prosecutors accused Deignan of stealing a driver's license belonging to another person in 2010 while working as a traffic supervisor for the Watertown Police Department. He then used this identification, along with doctors' information, to forge and fill more than 100 prescriptions for controlled substances. This activity began in 2010. Deignan retired from the police force in February 2012.

Deignan faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, followed by three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced on Nov. 15.