A 58-year-old Youngstown, Ohio, physician has admitted to illegally prescribing controlled substances, contributing to the deaths of two patients.
Martin Escobar, of Youngstown, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally distributing controlled substances, causing the deaths of two patients, unlawfully distributing a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21, and health care fraud.
U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced the guilty plea, stating that between March 2015 and October 2019, Escobar prescribed controlled substances, including opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, often in combination with benzodiazepines and stimulants.
Escobar admitted to using false diagnoses, falsifying patient pain intensity scales, increasing dosages of controlled substances, and prescribing them for prolonged periods without evidence of efficacy.
The physician also admitted to inadequately investigating patient pain complaints, failing to pursue treatment options other than controlled substances, and falsely claiming to have performed extensive physical examinations on his patients.
Escobar pleaded guilty to health care fraud, as he ignored warning signs of his patients’ drug addiction and abuse, including ignoring the results of urine drug screen tests that suggested patients were abusing the drugs he had prescribed.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Ohio Attorney General’s Healthcare Fraud Section, and the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.
Martin Escobar is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17, 2022.
The defendant’s case highlights the ongoing issues of opioid abuse and the importance of proper medical practices.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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