Indian-origin doctor in US pleads guilty to charges linked to two opioid deaths

An Indian-origin physician from Shady Spring, West Virginia in the United States, Dr Sanjay Mehta has pleaded guilty to charges linked to the deaths of two patients from opioid [Opioids are a class of natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic drugs that include both prescription medications and illegal drugs like heroin] overdoses after receiving unnecessary prescriptions from him.

Mehta pleaded guilty on July 10, to three counts of aiding and abetting in obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. He admitted to unlawfully prescribing opioids, including oxycodone and methadone, without legitimate medical purpose while working at HOPE Clinic, a purported pain management facility operating in West Virginia and Virginia.

According to court documents, Mehta had no prior experience in handling chronic pain patients and was untrained in prescribing Schedule II narcotics when recruited to the clinic. Two of the three patients to whom he unlawfully prescribed opioids died within days of receiving the prescriptions.

Mehta, initially indicted in 2018 along with other associates of HOPE Clinic, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 31, and faces up to four years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $750,000. He has also agreed to surrender his DEA registration and not seek re-registration.

Acting US Attorney Lisa G Johnston stated, “This commitment stems from the recognition that such actions harm patients and undermine efforts to combat the epidemic.”

This case was a part of an Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.