Syracuse-area dentist accused of illegally prescribing opioids, arrested in probe

A New Hartford dentist was arrested after investigators said he wrote opioid prescriptions for people he was not actively treating, a case that spotlights how prescription abuse can move through trusted medical channels before it is caught.

Lawrence B. Marks, 76, lived and operated his practice in Oneida County, where investigators said the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement began looking into him in January 2026. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the probe, according to Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol.

Authorities allege Marks prescribed and overprescribed narcotics to patients who were not actively being treated by him. On May 13, investigators from the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, the DEA and the sheriff’s office went to his practice and gathered additional information before arresting him and taking him to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.

Marks was charged with two counts of criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance by a practitioner, both Class C felonies, and one count of falsifying business records in the first degree, a Class E felony. He was later held at the Oneida County Correctional Facility pending arraignment.

The case lands in a region that has spent years wrestling with opioid diversion, overdose deaths and the ripple effects of addiction on families across Syracuse, Onondaga County and the broader Central New York corridor. The concern is not only that controlled substances were allegedly prescribed improperly, but that the abuse of a doctor-patient relationship may have hidden the activity inside ordinary office records and prescription paperwork.

In cases like this, investigators typically scrutinize prescription histories, patient charts, office logs, pharmacy records and billing documents to see whether prescriptions match real treatment. The allegation of falsifying business records suggests prosecutors are also looking at whether records were altered or used to cover the prescribing pattern. Patients who suspect their name was used on a prescription without consent should ask for their pharmacy records, keep copies of any related paperwork and report the concern to law enforcement and state health officials.

The enforcement action also comes as New York continues a broader opioid crackdown. On Oct. 7, 2025, state officials said a Central New York trafficking investigation led to 17 people being charged with 125 crimes, along with seizures of more than 23 pounds of fentanyl, nearly four pounds of cocaine, more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine, more than $880,000 in cash and three illegal firearms.

State officials have also secured opioid settlements totaling more than $3 billion, including a $7.4 billion Purdue Pharma and Sackler family settlement announced in January 2025. Those funds are intended for treatment, recovery and prevention, a reminder that enforcement, accountability and public health are all tied to the same crisis.