What Happened
Thomas Romano, 72, of Wheeling, West Virginia, owned and operated a self-named pain management clinic in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, and was convicted by a federal jury in August 2022 of unlawfully distributing opioids. Evidence at trial showed that between January 2015 and June 2019 he prescribed over 111,000 pills, including opioids, benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants, to nine clients, accepting only cash. He was convicted of 24 counts of unlawful distribution outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. He faced a maximum of 20 years per count, and no sentencing date had been set.
“convicted an Ohio physician on Friday for unlawfully distributing opioids from his Martin’s Ferry clinic”
Related Guidance
- 15 Red Flags of Drug Diversion — Behavioral and transactional indicators of diversion.
- Investigation Playbook — How to investigate suspected diversion inside an organization.