Doctor Admits To Illegally Prescribing Opioids That Killed Patients

India-West Staff Reporter

BECKLEY, WVA –A 57-year-old physician has pleaded guilty to federal charges tied to the illegal distribution of powerful opioid medications, marking another development in a sweeping investigation into a network of pain clinics at the center of the region’s opioid crisis.

On July 10, Dr. Sanjay Mehta, formerly affiliated with the Hitech Opioid Pharmacovigilance Expertise (HOPE) Clinic, admitted in federal court to three counts of aiding and abetting the acquisition of controlled substances by fraud. According to court documents, Mehta knowingly issued prescriptions for highly addictive Schedule II narcotics, including oxycodone, methadone, and Roxicodone, without legitimate medical justification.

Mehta’s guilty plea follows revelations that two of the patients he unlawfully prescribed opioids to died of overdose-related causes within days of receiving their medications.

Federal prosecutors stated that Mehta was employed at the Beckley branch of the HOPE Clinic from November 2012 to July 2013, and later at the Beaver location from August 2013 until May 2015. Though recruited to provide care for chronic pain patients, Mehta lacked both formal training in pain management and experience prescribing Schedule II narcotics, raising further concerns about the clinic’s hiring practices and oversight.

The HOPE Clinic, which operated facilities in West Virginia and Virginia, has been under federal scrutiny for years, accused of functioning more as a “pill mill” than a legitimate medical provider. Authorities allege that numerous practitioners dispensed powerful painkillers without proper evaluations, fueling opioid addiction in communities already hard-hit by the epidemic.

As part of his plea agreement, Mehta will surrender his DEA registration and has agreed not to seek re-registration to dispense controlled substances. He also faces up to four years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $750,000 when he is sentenced on October 31.

Mehta is one of six doctors who have pleaded guilty in connection with the government’s investigation into the HOPE Clinic’s operations. The case is part of a broader federal effort to hold medical professionals accountable for their roles in the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis.