Pain management physician Dr. Yutong Zhang, has been sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for operating his Wayne, Pa.-based practice as a "pill mill," the Justice Department said Jan. 20.
In February, Dr. Zhang pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing medication containing oxycodone outside the usual course of practice. From 2016 to 2020, he sold prescriptions for oxycodone and other medications to 120 "patients" who were cash-paying customers.
In a separate settlement, Dr. Zhang agreed to pay $715,000 in civil penalties for his prescribing practices and is now barred from ever prescribing controlled substances, the Justice Department said.