A former St. Clair Shore doctor was convicted Friday in a number of federal indictments related to prescription drug offenses, including death from an overdose, federal prosecutors said.
Bernard Shelton, 66, was found guilty of 21 counts by a jury in the U.S. District Court in Detroit in a trial that began in late February, according to a news release from the Detroit U.S. Attorney’s Office. faces a prison sentence of more than 20 years.
Shelton was indicted in October 2017.
“Doctors who riskfully prescribe opiates for their own benefit endanger communities just like any other drug dealer,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in a release. Be accountable.
Second overdose was fatal
“My office is committed to keeping highly addictive opioids off the streets and actively investigates and prosecutes medical professionals and others who illegally distribute controlled substances.”
Prosecutors said Shelton began prescribing opioid pain relievers in 2010 to patients who had previously treated pain with prescription-strength Motrin. He prescribed increasingly powerful controlled substances over the next six years and the patient became addicted.
Shelton illegally prescribed an increased dose of oxycodone to a 54-year-old patient on January 14, 2016, and the patient filled out the prescription four days later. Two days later, the patient overdosed but was given Narcan and survived.
The patient died of a second oxycodone overdose on January 24, 2016, according to the release.
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Millions of Opioids Prescribed: “What Can I Give You Today?”
Prosecutors also said Shelton prescribed more than 5.5 million doses of the controlled substance between April 2013 and December 2016. The prescriptions include more than 2.7 million doses of his drugs, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, and the variety and strength make them the most valuable on his market, they said. .
When a masked patient with back stiffness first visited Shelton, the doctor didn’t examine the patient’s back and asked, “What can I give you today?” before prescribing the requested narcotics, according to the release.
Shelton also states that he issued 21 prescriptions to seven patients outside of the normal course of professional practice for no valid medical reason and was therefore able to claim the cost of the consultation and tests. Prosecutors said he received more than $1.4 million of his money from Medicare, Medicaid, and Michigan’s Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
Shelton has been unable to prescribe a controlled substance since January 2017 due to licensing action, according to releases and state records.
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Shelton’s bail was changed Friday to $10,000 unsecured/personal bond with house arrest and GPS monitoring. He can go to church with prior permission and must report his surrender on Monday, according to court records.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20th. On his release, prosecutors said Shelton faces a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.
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