A Martin's Ferry, Ohio-based physician has been convicted of unlawfully distributing opioids.
Thomas Romano, MD, of Wheeling, W.Va., owned and operated a self-named pain management clinic where he wrote prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances that exceeded recommended dosages, according to a Sept. 20 news release from the Justice Department.
Between October 2014 and September 2019, he prescribed more than 137,000 pills to nine people, according to the release.
Dr. Romano has been convicted of 24 counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, to nine people. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge.