Doc convicted of painkiller scheme gets years in prison
DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area doctor convicted of one of the "most egregious" health-care frauds in U.S. history was sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison Monday and ordered to pay $30 million.
Frank Patino was accused of leading a scheme to bill Medicare and private insurers for unnecessary painkiller injections and write prescriptions for millions of opioids.
"Over the course of approximately five years, Patino steadily increased the potency of the opioids he prescribed, ultimately making him the top prescriber of 30 milligram oxycodone within the state of Michigan," Justice Department attorney Steven Scott said in a court filing.
The result: Patino and other doctors got rich while patients became addicted or further addicted to opioids, Scott said.
The government said the fraud scheme lasted years and was "one of the most egregious in United States history."
Patino declared his innocence in court. His new attorney, Martin Crandall, is seeking a new trial, claiming Patino's trial lawyer botched his defense.
Crandall said Patino has traveled the world to give medical care to the poor.
"It just doesn't fit for him to be involved in philanthropy for all these years and to be committing these crimes," Crandall said.