PAIR PLEAD NOT GUILTY IN CASE

NORWICH -- Lawyers for Dr. Mitchell Moffat and his brother-in-law,
Thomas Furman, entered not guilty pleas Friday in Norwich Superior
Court.

Moffat, a former emergency room doctor at The William W. Backus
Hospital, and Furman face dozens of drug-related charges stemming from
an investigation into alleged illegal prescriptions.

Moffat, who lives in Canterbury, is accused of writing more than 100
prescriptions for illegal drugs. Furman, who lives in Colchester, is
accused of being the recipient.

"It's a little premature to be commenting at this point," said
attorney Ray Hassett, representing Furman. "We've only just received
the arrest and investigation reports, and we need to review them."

"I'd be remiss on commenting on anything not having completed
reviewing all the information," added attorney Christopher McCarthy,
representing Moffat, "other than to say, we're denying all the charges."

Both cases were continued to April 13 for pre-trial
hearings.

Moffat, 58, and Furman, 48, were arrested last month after an
investigation by the state Department of Consumer Protection triggered
by suspicions raised by area pharmacists. The two are facing charges
ranging from the sale of illegal drugs to insurance fraud.

Moffat worked at Backus from September 1991 to November 2006. He
resigned his position at the height of the investigation. The hospital
had no knowledge of the prescriptions being written during the period
of 2001 through 2006.

Authorities allege Moffat wrote the prescriptions for Furman during
those five years, despite acknowledging his brother-in-law's probable
drug dependency, according to court documents.

Furman alleged he initially asked Moffat for a prescription of
Oxycodone for his wife, but later told police she didn't like taking
pills.

Both men appeared in court with their attorneys Friday, accompanied by
family members. Neither made any comment during or after their brief
and separate appearances.