A federal jury convicted a Kentucky man today for illegally prescribing Oxycontin, Klonopin, Ambien, and Valium, violating the Controlled Substances Act, officials stated.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dr. David Suetholz, 71, of Ludlow, unlawfully prescribed controlled substances to his patients outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
Some patients were prescribed high doses of medication and in dangerous combinations without justification, according to authorities.
Suetholz prescribed drugs to patients without assessing their risks for addiction or their past history of substance abuse.
Suetholz was convicted of 12 counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22, 2023. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count.
Trial Attorneys Dermot Lynch and Maryam Adeyola of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.