An Ohio physician has been permanently barred from prescribing opioids and slapped with a multimillion-dollar judgment. Dr. Gregory Gerber, a doctor who practiced in Sandusky, Ohio, was accused of issuing prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose.
Describing Gerber's conduct, Brian Boynton, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said, "Medical professionals who knowingly facilitate the abuse of opioids violate their legal obligations." The sentiments were part of an announcement by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio, emphasizing the government's pursuit of justice against individuals profiting from unlawful opioid prescriptions.
According to the Sandusky Register, Gerber faced 51 counts of distributing controlled substances and two counts of health care fraud. In an admission that underscored a betrayal of the Hippocratic Oath, Gerber pleaded guilty to illegally dispensing narcotics to his patients, which eventually led to his imprisonment and subsequent restrictions.
As for repercussions, not only has Gerber's ability to practice medicine been curtailed, but he is also on the hook for significant financial compensation. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick ordered Gerber to pay approximately $4.7 million under the False Claims Act. Meanwhile, a separate criminal case dealt him a prison sentence of 42 months, followed by a year of home confinement and a demand for restitution amounting to about $861,900, exposing a web of profiteering that extended to kickback payments from a drug manufacturer for prescribing Subsys, a powerful opioid. Moreover, the DEA, FBI, and other agencies' investigation into Gerber’s actions paints a picture of a systematic and prolonged abuse of medical privilege.
