NC doctor found guilty of illegally prescribing opioids
Published 1:29 pm Wednesday, August 14, 2019
NEW BERN (AP) — A jury has convicted a North Carolina sports medicine doctor of illegally distributing opioids through a cash-only business.
The Justice Department says the jury handed down Sanjay Kumar’s verdict Monday on 13 counts, including illegal distribution of oxycodone, money laundering and tax evasion.
Prosecutors said Kumar wrote about 9,500 prescriptions for addictive opiate pain killers and other drugs between 2011 and 2016. The News & Observer reports witnesses said Kumar wrote prescriptions without examining patients in a cash-only business.
North Carolina Medical Board records show Kumar’s license expired in 2017 and wasn’t renewed.
The Medical Board also scheduled an October hearing to consider accusations that two of Kumar’s patients died from overdoses under his care.
Kumar faces sentencing in January.