Michigan doctor sentenced to prison after patient dies of drug overdose
(CBS DETROIT) - A St. Clair Shores doctor was sentenced to 20 years in prison for unlawful prescribing after his patient died of a drug overdose, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced on Thursday.
Dr. Bernard Shelton, 67, was found guilty of 21 charges related to unlawful distribution of prescription drugs. He has been banned from prescribing drugs since 2017.
Federal officials said in 2010, Shelton prescribed opioids to a 54-year-old patient who was previously treated with prescription-strength Motrin. Shelton began prescribing stronger drugs over a six-year period, leading to the patient becoming addicted. He increased the dosage of oxycodone in 2016 without a medical reason and the patient overdosed but survived, according to a news release.
The patient overdosed a second time four days later but died. Officials say Shelton contributed to the overdose deaths of two other patients.
An investigation found that between April 2013 and December 2016, Shelton prescribed 2.7 million doses of controlled substances. He issued 21 prescriptions to seven patients outside of usual practice without a legitimate medical reason and received $1.4 million from Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
"This defendant violated his oath to do no harm to his patients. He prescribed drugs without any medical justification in order to line his own pockets," U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in the release. "His actions caused the death of at least one person and contributed to the deaths of two others. This sentence won't bring back those patients who he harmed but should serve as a warning to others of our resolve to aggressively prosecute physicians who choose to act as drug dealers and cause the death of patients."