Former Watertown Police Officer Found Guilty in Drug Case

A former Watertown police officer faces up to 15 years in prison after being convicted on Tuesday of passing false prescriptions and possession of a controlled substance.

Joseph Deignan, 58, of Framingham who retired from the Watertown Police in February 2012, forged prescriptions using the identity of a man from whom he stole a driver’s license in 2010, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz’s office. The license was taken from a man who Deignan encountered while he was the traffic supervisor for the Watertown Police.

Using the man’s name, Deignan forged over 100 prescriptions from a variety of doctors for oxycodone and other controlled substances from 2010 to 2013, according to the announcement.

Deignan was arrested in Marlborough in December 2012 when he tried to forge a prescription at a CVS.

He was found guilty on charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance by fraud and fraud in connection with identification documents.

The maximum sentence for the identity theft is 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

Deignan will be sentenced on Nov. 15.

The DEA received assistance from the Marlborough Police Department and the Watertown Police Department cooperated in the investigation, according to the announcement.