Former Santa Rosa, Calif.-based pain management physician Thomas Keller has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for illegally prescribing Schedule II and IV controlled substances, the Justice Department said April 7.
Mr. Keller was indicted Sept. 27, 2018, after allegedly repeatedly prescribing oxycodone to a 17-year-old patient outside the course of professional practice.
Mr. Keller also repeatedly prescribed the patient, who was struggling with mental health issues, carisoprodol and diazepam for more than two years. The patient died of an overdose of oxycodone and other drugs, according to a Justice Department news release.
Evidence at trial demonstrated that Mr. Keller prescribed oxycodone, carisoprodol and diazepam despite knowing the dangerousness and addictiveness of the three drugs.
Mr. Keller was convicted in November on four counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances, the release said. He surrendered his medical license in 2019.