The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania reported that a Pike County physician was convicted on December 5, 2022, for unlawfully distributing controlled substances that resulted in a patient's death. The conviction came after a three-week trial and two-year investigation into the physician's alleged violations of federal and state controlled substance prescription and distribution laws. The report did not mention his sentencing date, but the maximum penalty is life in prison.

Dr. Martin Evers, 64, was a member of the Bon Secours Charity Health System in Port Jervis, and he maintained a primary care practice in Milford. He was a licensed physician in Pennsylvania, authorized to prescribe controlled substances for legitimate medical reasons.

On February 11, 2019, a 48-year-old woman from Monroe County died from using oxycodone and fentanyl, which prosecutors claim Evers had distributed to her. During the trial, at least six local pharmacists and a Walmart Global Investigations witness all testified they refused to fill any prescriptions from Evers.

Prosecutors successfully showed Evers had a history of repeatedly prescribing opioids outside the accepted medical practice standards and that patients got addicted, or in this case, died as a result. However, the report did not mention if he prescribed controlled substances to the deceased or if he gave them to her at his office or through some other means.

Regardless, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Pennsylvania and U.S. Attorney General Offices, and the Pennsylvania State Police investigated Evers for two years, and a federal grand jury indicted him on August 28, 2019. The State Board of Medicine suspended his medical license the following week when he appeared for his arraignment on September 4, 2019.

Important Lessons

The U.S. government and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania take allegations of unlawful controlled substance distribution seriously, and they investigate and prosecute alleged violations aggressively. The fact federal prosecutors must obtain a grand jury indictment against you means they already have substantial evidence, and as this case shows, just being arrested can jeopardize your medical license.

Moreover, Pennsylvania's State Board of Medicine can investigate any alleged wrongdoing, and it has a lower burden of proof to suspend or revoke your license.

If you are under investigation for any unlawful or unethical medical practices, you need an experienced professional license defense attorney to represent you before the board. If you were arrested and arraigned on criminal charges related to your practice, you also need an experienced criminal defense attorney to fight for your rights and future.

LLF Law Firm has many years of experience defending licensed physicians and other licensed professionals during disciplinary actions in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. They have defended numerous clients in state and federal district courts for unlawful drug distribution and other serious federal offenses.

Call the LLF Law Firm Team today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online for a confidential consultation.