A Butler County podiatrist who was supposed to keep patients on their feet is instead confined to his home. Dr. Matthew Sabo, a 52-year-old foot and ankle specialist, pleaded guilty Wednesday to overprescribing opioids and assaulting multiple patients. An Armstrong County judge ordered Sabo to serve one to two years behind bars, with permission to serve that term on house arrest, followed by six years of probation. Victims told the court his prescribing left them dependent and afraid to report what he was doing.
In a press release from the PA Office of Attorney General, Attorney General Dave Sunday said Sabo pleaded guilty to violating the Controlled Substances, Devices, and Cosmetics Act, knowingly or intentionally obtaining information from the ABC-MAP system, and simple assault. Prosecutors said Sabo kept querying Pennsylvania's prescription drug monitoring database even after his access was suspended in July 2022. The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Kara Cotter.
State investigators first arrested Sabo in June 2022 after a statewide grand jury heard from more than a dozen women who alleged inappropriate touching and improper prescribing at his Foot and Ankle Wellness Center offices, according to WTAE. Reporting at the time said the alleged misconduct stretched from 2013 through 2020 and involved clinics in Armstrong, Butler, and Mercer counties. Sabo posted a $100,000 straight bond and denied the allegations, his attorney told reporters.
Victims Say Prescriptions Became Leverage
At sentencing, several women described years of powerful opioid prescriptions that they said became a trap, according to WPXI. They told the court Sabo wrote high-dose painkiller prescriptions for extended periods and that they feared losing their medication if they pushed back against his alleged advances.
One victim said she had never taken pain pills before seeing Sabo and told the judge she left his care addicted. Prosecutors argued that these dependencies opened the door for Sabo to touch patients inappropriately, according to testimony described in court.
How The State Drug Database Factors In
Pennsylvania's prescription drug monitoring program, known as ABC-MAP, tracks dispensations of Schedule II through V controlled substances and is designed to help spot risky prescribing and drug diversion, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The department notes that information in the system is protected and that unauthorized access or disclosure can carry both civil and criminal penalties.
Prosecutors said Sabo's decision to keep querying ABC-MAP after his account was suspended undercut the safeguards the system is supposed to provide.
What Comes Next Legally
According to the Attorney General's office, Sabo pleaded guilty to state-controlled-substances violations, unlawful access of prescription drug monitoring program data, and simple assault. Those charges carry criminal penalties and can trigger civil consequences for his professional license.
An Armstrong County judge sentenced Sabo to a one-to-two-year term, with the option to serve that time on house arrest, plus six years of probation. The case was handled by Senior Deputy Attorney General Kara Cotter. The conviction can be reviewed by medical licensing boards and could lead to separate disciplinary action.
"This doctor had an obligation to provide sound medical care and treatment to his patients, and instead abused his authority for his own selfish reasons," Attorney General Dave Sunday said, calling Sabo's conduct a stain on the profession. The guilty plea and sentence cap a multi-year investigation into his prescribing and behavior, while leaving victims' statements on the record as the matter shifts to civil and regulatory arenas.
