What Happened
A physician practicing in Rawlins, Wyoming, pleaded guilty in February to 20 counts of dispensing medically unnecessary controlled substances, including oxycodone, alprazolam, hydrocodone and tramadol.
At a December sentencing hearing, prosecutors said some of the patients were addicts or became addicted, some sold the drugs, four patients died from overdoses, and that the physician sometimes traded drugs for sexual favors. The federal court sentenced him to 20 concurrent five-year prison terms, followed by six years of supervised release, a $2,000 special assessment and $400 in restitution. The state board of medicine had suspended his licence in 2017.
What the Record Shows
Sentenced to 20 concurrent five-year prison terms, six years of supervised release, a $2,000 special assessment and $400 restitution; licence previously suspended by the state medical board.
Why It Matters for Diversion Programs
This entry comes from a news source rather than a federal enforcement release, and it is recorded as reported: Pleaded guilty to 20 counts of dispensing medically unnecessary controlled substances; prosecutors said some patients were addicts or became addicted, that drugs were traded for sexual favors, and that 430 oxycodone pills were prescribed to a young female patient in return for lewd photographs.. Board and news records are a lagging indicator - by the time a licensing authority or a reporter learns of a diversion, the diversion was normally detected internally first, which makes each entry a signal that inventory reconciliation, waste observation or dispensing oversight failed earlier.