A federal jury in Ohio convicted an Ohio physician on Wednesday for unlawfully distributing opioids from his clinic, officials stated.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Thomas Romano, 73, of Wheeling, West Virginia, owned and operated a self-named pain management clinic in Martin’s Ferry to which individuals traveled hundreds of miles to obtain prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances.
Romano charged $750 for an initial visit and $120 for subsequent monthly visits.
The prescriptions Romano issued for opioids and other controlled substances greatly exceeded recommended dosages and were in dangerous, life-threatening combinations that fueled the addiction of the individuals to whom he prescribed.
Between October 2014 and September 2019, Romano prescribed over 137,000 pills, including opioids, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxants, to nine individuals.
The jury convicted Romano of 24 counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose to nine individuals.
He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge.
The DEA, FBI, and the Department of Health and Human Service – Office of the Inspector General, as well as the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation and Ohio Board of Pharmacy, investigated this case.
Assistant Chief Alexis Gregorian and Trial Attorneys Devon Helfmeyer and Danielle Sakowski of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.