Indianapolis Doctor Sentenced for Unlawful Oxycontin Distribution

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Susan W. Brooks, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, announced that ROBERT C. GREGORI, 49, Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment today by U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton following his guilty plea to possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, OxyContin.  This case was the result of a  investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Robert C. GREGORI is a medical doctor with a specialty in physical medical rehabilitation.  The DEA learned that Dr. GREGORI was prescribing controlled substances outside the bounds of medical practice and not in good faith which is a criminal violation of the Controlled Substances Act.  GREGORI had prescribed OxyContin, an extremely potent Schedule II narcotic, to a patient who he knew had become addicted to controlled substances, but continued to prescribe OxyContin to her, including during social situations, and also took kickbacks of the OxyContin from the patient for his own use.

The prescriptions for which GREGORI was charged and pled guilty were written without any regard for the basic protocols for prescribing controlled substances, including (1) without any formal evaluation of the patient’s condition; (2) without documentation of any contact with the patient; (3) prescriptions written prior to their refill date; (4) no documentation of the prescription in the file; (5) no monitoring of the prescription patterns; (6) no formal plan for treatment of the patient’s conditions; (7) changes in prescriptions without notation or explanation; (8) and no diagnostic tests to diagnose the reason for complaints justifying the prescriptions.

“OxyContin is a powerfully addictive narcotic,” stated Gary G. Olenkiewicz, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Chicago Field Division which covers Indianapolis.  “Doctors who prescribe narcotics for no legitimate medical purpose are no different than the street dealer who sells heroin or cocaine to addicts.  We still continue to work with the United States Attorney’s office to make sure these cases are investigated and prosecuted.”

Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Dennis Wichern, Drug Enforcement Administration, Indianapolis District Office, said  “DEA will continue to pursue those who abuse their authority to prescribe controlled substances.”

Susan W. Brooks said, “I applaud the work of DEA and their investigation of this case.  A doctor with a prescription pad must be held accountable for all prescriptions they write.  Drug abuse should not be and will not be tolerated or ignored in the Southern District of Indiana.”

United States District Court Judge David F. Hamilton noted that part of  Dr. GREGORI’s criminal conduct was the result of an extreme substance abuse problem and a diagnosis of bipolar disease.  He also noted that GREGORI’s medical license had been suspended and would be suspended for a substantial period of time.  Judge Hamilton felt it was important that some term of imprisonment be imposed to deter similar conduct in the future for purposes of sending a strong message.  The judge stated that doctors who write prescriptions for controlled substances must take responsibility for that privilege.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Winfield D. Ong, who prosecuted the case for the government, Judge Hamilton also imposed 3 years supervised release following GREGORI’s release from imprisonment.  During the period of supervised release, GREGORI must undergo drug testing. GREGORI was ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $15,000.

Source: Indiana Department of Justice Press Release