HARRISBURG, PA — Dr. Donald J. Dinello, D.M.D., a dentist with practice locations in Harrisburg and Hershey, has agreed to pay the United States $120,000 in civil penalties for allegedly failing to comply with recordkeeping and other requirements of the Controlled Substances Act.
The Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. sections 801 et seq. (CSA), was passed to combat illegal distribution and abuse of controlled substances, including prescription medications. The CSA’s recordkeeping and prescribing requirements are to prevent the diversion of controlled substances for illegal purposes.
Dr. Dinello failed to use the required DEA form 222 for each distribution of a Schedule II Controlled Substance, failed to maintain complete and accurate records of controlled substances dispensed by him at both his registered locations, failed to maintain biennial inventory at both his registered locations, and in one instance, failed to issue a prescription for a Schedule IV controlled substance in the usual course of his professional practice.
“Practitioners who register with DEA in order to prescribe and dispense medications that fall under the Controlled Substances Act have an obligation to prescribe appropriately and keep careful records and inventories,” said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam. “Not fulfilling those obligations makes it difficult or even impossible to be sure those potentially dangerous medications are being dispensed and handled appropriately and are not being diverted.
The Settlement Agreement is neither an admission of liability by Dr. Dinello nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded. The case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division.
The investigation was handled by Assistant United States Attorney, Tamara J. Haken and the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant: Dr. Donald J. Dinello
Criminal Charges: Failing to comply with recordkeeping and other requirements of the Controlled Substances Act
City and State: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Date: Between January of 2023 and August of 2024
Sentence: $120,000 in civil penalties
Dollar Amount: $120,000
Related Federal Cases
- Edwin Williams, Fentanyl and Cocaine Possession, Pennsylvania 2021 · Puerto Rico
- Five Essex County Men Charged In Heroin Distribution Ring, New Jersey 2015 · New York
- Stanley Church, Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, Pennsylvania 2017 · Pennsylvania
- Donald Smith, Military Contract Fraud, Pittsburgh PA, 2019-2023 · Pennsylvania
- Donald Goodwine, Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy, Pittsburgh PA, 2023 · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking