In answer to a charge of “doctor shopping” leveled by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, Presque Isle County prosecutor Rick Steiger told the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners he intends to fight the charges and stay in office. Steiger was arraigned Dec. 28, 2011 in front of Judge Theodore Johnson in 88th District Court in Alpena charged with one count of obtaining a prescription for controlled substances from a health care provider by fraud. The felony charge carries a maximum four-year sentence.

The charge of “doctor shopping” comes as the result of a Huron Undercover Narcotics Team (HUNT) and Michigan State Police investigation into Steiger’s alleged activities of obtaining narcotics prescriptions from multiple physicians. He made his first public statement since his arraignment at the beginning of the regular board meeting Thursday and added to his comments during an interview in his office after the meeting. “As everyone is aware, it has been a pretty rough week. I have been charged with a count of doctor shopping and it is not true. If it were true, I would have removed myself from office immediately,” Steiger told the board.

He said it has been a difficult week for his family, making an emotional appeal to the board to not lose confidence in him as he fights the charge. “You know me. You know who I am. We have worked together for years. We attend the same functions in the community,” Steiger said. “You know the person that I am. So without getting into the details about the case, I would like to point out that this is a biased investigation. But I am not going to allow this to affect my ability to serve the people of Presque Isle County.”

STEIGER FIRST found out about the pending charges via a telephone call from an Associated Press (AP) reporter in Detroit Dec. 27, 2011. “I had no idea there would be a press release issued. I received that call Tuesday night and spoke to that reporter in response to Mr. Schuette’s article. (The reporter) said there was a press release being distributed to all the news agencies and he wanted to get my opinion, which I appreciated,” Steiger said. Steiger stated he was angry because the press release came out on Tuesday, before the arraignment. He wasn’t advised of the press release, although he had known since at least October of the investigation. “At the time I used the term ‘political witch hunt.’ I think that is too strong. It doesn’t have anything to do with Mr. Schuette’s office,” he said.

The prosecutor said his relations with local law enforcement agencies over the years have been mostly good and he singled out many officers by name for praise. “We have a wonderful law enforcement community. Rogers City Police Department, (Chief) Matt Quaine and his guys are top notch. I have never worked with a finer group of people. (Chief) Jim Gibson in Onaway is an outstanding officer. His investigations are flawless. We have two (state) troopers here, Mike Jermeay and Steve Bullock who are outstanding. And we have a sheriff’s department where most of those guys are just really good cops and good guys,” Steiger said. HE SAID HIS relationship with “another agency” has not been good for a number of years.

“Unfortunately that is the same agency that did an assist in the investigation in this baseless charge against me. I think that what it comes down to is that there are some people who would like to see me out of office,” Steiger said. He has faced a number of health issues over the years and has saved medical records to prove it. A series of four sinus surgeries began in 1993 and has visited neurologists while having many medical tests at various locations. “What I suffer from is daily chronic pain in the head. This is all established with neurologists’ records. I get migraines. Sometimes I go four days in a row where I am incapacitated, so I do have an established medical history going back to 1993,” Steiger explained.

When he was approached by an investigator associated with HUNT in mid-October, Steiger cooperated thoroughly with him, he said. “I stated that I would answer any follow-up questions that he may have and that I would provide all my medical records. I thought that this would be a non-issue. There was no doctor-shopping going from one doctor to another doctor to another doctor to another doctor. I had two primary doctors,” Steiger said.

A neurologist referred Steiger to a pain management clinic. After his former general practitioner (GP) left the area, he found a new one and showed him all his records from his local pharmacy. “The press release from the attorney general’s office gave the appearance that I had been shopping at numerous doctors to obtain duplicate prescription painkillers. That is not true. There were some where the one doctor would prescribe the same prescription in a month. However, they knew of each other and they were treating two different things. My GP was treating my migraines, my arthritis, and what other ailments I had,” Steiger explained.

WHEN THE attorney general issued the press release last week, the day before Steiger’s arraignment, it drew attention statewide and beyond. Newspapers from all across Michigan like the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, Escanaba Daily Press, Mount Pleasant Morning Sun, Battle Creek Inquirer, Petoskey News Review, the Lansing State Journal and the Port Huron Times Herald, among others had the AP story. Many television stations throughout Michigan broadcast the same report provided by the AP.

Media outlets from other states such as the Chicago Tribune, the Green Bay Press Gazette, the Appleton Post Crescent and even USA Today picked up the story. A quick Internet search showed that the story appeared on the Web sites of places as far away as KTVU, a television station in San Jose, California and Dallasnews.com in Texas. The wide coverage of the attorney general’s charge is out of the ordinary and out of Steiger’s comfort level, even as a prosecutor.

“You are in the position where you have the ability to take someone’s livelihood away from them by putting them in jail, by putting them in prison and taking them away from their families. From day one I have attempted to not be political, which I am not. If you have noticed, I very rarely issue press releases. We are a small community. I am doing my job. I am holding someone accountable. Why do I need to embarrass them in the public?” he said of his style as prosecutor.

STEIGER HAS no intentions of resigning, as he told the board of commissioners. “As I told the board, if I had done anything illegal, I would have stepped down immediately. We are in law enforcement. We are supposed to be in a position beyond reproach and if we violate the law, how can we enforce it?” he said. “This charge is baseless and I am not going anywhere. I will continue to do my job. I will continue to make sure that the people of this county are protected and treated fairly at the same time and I am going nowhere. I will fulfill my term,” he concluded. His term expires at the end of the year.

Since the story broke last week, Steiger said he has been encouraged by the support received. “I would be remiss if I fail to mention that I am humbled by the overwhelming support I have received from members of the community, members of the board of commissioners, the people I work with on a daily basis, my legal peers in various counties kindly offering their support and even offers to represent me for free, from members of local law enforcement, my church, and so forth. I cannot express in words how grateful I am for their kind words, cards, emails and prayers. I am truly blessed,” he said.

ACCORDING TO THE press release from the attorney general, this activity is a felony under Michigan law, which makes it a crime for a person to fraudulently obtain, or attempt to obtain, a controlled substance or a prescription for a controlled substance from a health care provider.

“The investigation found that prosecutor Steiger visited multiple physicians in northern Michigan and acquired numerous duplicative prescriptions for narcotic pain medications,” the press release from the attorney general’s office states. “A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.” Steiger’s next court appearance would be for a preliminary examination, Jan. 11 at 2:30 p.m. He’s out on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.

Steiger served as assistant prosecutor under former prosecutor, now Judge Don McLennan from January 2006 until September of that year. At that time, he was appointed prosecutor after McLennan resigned to run for probate judge and Steiger completed the final two years of McLennan’s term.

He is a graduate of Thomas Cooley Law School who moved to Alpena in 2001. After nearly a year as assistant prosecutor in Alpena County, he took up private practice in the office of attorney Dan White of Alpena. He also served as a public defender for approximately two years prior to his work in the Alpena County prosecutor’s office. Steiger ran unopposed in the 2008 election.