Nevada Doctor Sentenced To Prison For Role In Worsening Opioid Crisis

The opioid crisis in America is not one to
underestimate. The damage it has caused and continues to cause is irreparable.
Overdoses are taking place at alarming rates and medical professionals all over
the country seem to be making the situation worse. When drugs are illegally prescribed,
they obviously get into the wrong hands. And, in those wrong hands, those drugs
are used for purposes other than what they were intended for.

Used for recreational purposes, opioids can have disastrous effects.

“In recent years, it is estimated that about 5 million people in the United States have tried opioids as recreational drugs,” reports Dr. Megan A. Moreno, Fred Furtner and Dr. Frederick P. Rivara on JamaNetwork.com, “There are now more deaths each year from prescription opioids than from heroin and cocaine combined.”

Physicians like 57 year-old Dr. Shouping Li are
certainly not helping the opioid crisis in America. Back in February, he pleaded
guilty to the distribution of a controlled substance, specifically Oxycodone
and Hydrocodone. This past Monday, Li was sentenced to one year and one day in
federal prison and ordered to pay a $125,000 fine for overprescribing the
highly addictive pain pills.

As reported by the District of Nevada branch of the United States Department of Justice, Li was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. The former Vice Chief of Staff for Humboldt County General Hospital in Winnemucca, Nevada once specialized in family medicine with a concentration in cardiovascular disease.

Li’s actions have resulted in numerous deaths.

According to court documents, Li started to
prescribe narcotics that were not for a legitimate medical purpose beginning in
March 2018. The investigation into Li’s actions started after the FBI received
reports of several deaths related to opioid pain medication overdoses.

“Dr. Li admitted that, between August 2015 and
February 2018, he prescribed Oxycodone and Hydrocodone at a high dosage rate to
his patients outside the usual course of his professional practice and without
a legitimate medical purpose,” reads the DoJ report, “He further admitted that
several of his patients passed away while he actively attended to them.”

Nicholas A. Trutanich is the United States Attorney
for the District of Nevada. “Today’s sentencing is a reminder of our unwavering
commitment to hold dirty doctors accountable for feeding into the addiction of
their patients,” he was quoted as saying in the report, “We will continue to
aggressively pursue medical professionals who disregard their oath to do no
harm.”

“The accessibility of deadly drugs are a threat to
our communities,” added Special Agent in Charge Rouse. “Each and every day, the
FBI and our partners in Nevada are working hard targeting distributors, who
illegally contribute to the opioid crisis that continues to devastate
communities all over the state of Nevada.”

Are you an attorney who is currently trying a health care fraud case?

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