MORGANTOWN — The U.S. Department of Justice has charged four West Virginia physicians with illegally distributing opioids through “pill mills,” according to a Tuesday announcement.
They were among 13 people charged as the result of the second coordinated action by the Appalachian Region Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force across five Appalachian federal districts.
The alleged conduct of the 13 resulted in the distribution of more than 17 million pills, the DOJ said.
In addition, three West Virginia physicians have entered guilty pleas to charges brought following ARPO’s April takedown of 60 individuals.
Charged in this month’s takedown in the Southern District of Ohio: Dr. Thomas Romano, 69, of Wheeling, with 20 counts of diversion of controlled substances for his alleged participation in the unlawful prescription of controlled substances outside of the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
Romano owns and operates a solo cash-only medical practice in Martin’s Ferry, Belmont County. This case is.
Charged in the Southern District of West Virginia:
— Dr. Michael Shramowiat, 66, of Vienna, with allegedly unlawfully distributing controlled substance without a legitimate medical purpose.
— Dr. Ricky Houdersheldt, 67, of Ona, with allegedly unlawfully distributing controlled substance without a legitimate medical purpose.
— Dr. Sriramloo Kesari, 77, of Charleston, with allegedly unlawfully distributing controlled substance without a legitimate medical purpose.
Also charged in this takedown was Julie Wheeler, 43, of Oak Hill. She owns and operates JRW Homecare Support Services and was charged with health care fraud. The charge stems from Wheeler’s scheme to defraud the Veterans Health Administration’s Spina Bifida Health Care Benefits Program.
Pleading guilty in the Southern District to April charges were:
— Marc Spelar, 37, of Huntington, on Sept. 3. Spelar, a psychiatrist, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal drug distribution. The charges stem from Spelar’s unlawful distribution of Schedule II narcotics, including dextroamphetamine, methylphenidate and amphetamine salt to a patient who did not have a medical need for the drugs.
Spelar did not perform examinations of any kind prior to dispensing the narcotics even though the patient had a history of abusing narcotics. Spelar no longer has his medical license or his DEA registration.
— Dr. Jeffery Addison, 64, of Charleston, on Sept. 23. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy distribution of controlled substance without a legitimate medical purpose.
— Dr. Muhammed Samer Nasher-Alneam, 47, of Charleston, on Aug. 22. He pleaded guilty to illegal distribution of controlled substances without legitimate medical purposes. Nasher admitted to prescribing methadone pills outside of the bounds of professional medical practice and not for legitimate medical purposes.
Nasher agreed to permanently surrender both his medical license and DEA registration. He further agreed to never seek reinstatement of a license to practice as a medical doctor in West Virginia or any other state.
In May, The Dominion Post reported that a Morgantown physician had pleaded guilty to charges brought during the ARPO’s April takedown.
Dr. Chad Poage, 35, was an orthopedic surgeon with practices in Morgantown and Fairmont. He pleaded guilty to acquiring or obtaining possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge.
Poage admitted that from November 2015 to March 2018 he wrote 30 fraudulent prescriptions for a total of 1,330 50-milligram tablets of Tramadol, 420 5-milligram tablets of Diazepam, and 50 30-milligram tablets of acetaminophen-codeine number 3, for his own use.
He also admitted he used his colleagues’ DEA registration numbers without their authorization or wrote a prescription for a patient knowing he would pick up the medication for his own use, and on multiple occasions he used a stolen driver’s license when picking the fraudulent prescriptions up.
The ARPO Strike Force is a partnership between the DOJ Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the FBI, DEA and the U.S. Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General. In addition, the operation includes various other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the West Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
“The Department of Justice will not relent in its aggressive pursuit of those responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic in Appalachia,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the DOJ Criminal Division. “Medical professionals who violate their solemn oaths and peddle opioids for profit should know that we will find you and ensure that the justice system treats you like the drug dealer you are.”
U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart, of the Southern District of West Virginia, said, “We have taken a very tough stance against those that fuel the opiate crisis at every level including pill writers, pill fillers and drug dealers. The unlawful distribution of controlled substances is a serious matter that gets my office’s full attention.
“It is one of our highest priorities for prosecution as we continue with our efforts to protect the public and the people of West Virginia,” Stuart said. “And for those that struggle or have a loved one that struggles with addiction and substance use disorder, I again urge treatment and recovery. While we remain tough in our actions against those who feed this crisis, my sincere and prayerful hope is that everyone who needs help gets help on their path to true recovery.”
Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
