Delaware Doctor Convicted of Unlawful Drug Distribution
A federal jury convicted Patrick Titus, 58, a former doctor from Milford, Delaware, of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances and for maintaining a drug-involved premises.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Titus, a former M.D., unlawfully distributed or dispensed a variety of powerful opioids, including fentanyl, morphine, methadone, OxyContin, and oxycodone, outside the usual scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
Titus operated an internal medicine practice whereby he would frequently prescribe hundreds of these dangerous controlled substances in high dosages, sometimes in combination with each other or in other dangerous combinations, mostly in exchange for cash. Although these Schedule II drugs are approved for pain management treatment, Titus provided no meaningful medical care and, instead, prescribed these controlled substances to patients he knew were suffering from substance use disorder and/or who demonstrated clear signs that the prescribed drugs were being abused, diverted, or sold on the street.
“Doctors who illegitimately prescribe opioid medications are fueling the country’s opioid crisis,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Criminal Division. “Not only does unlawfully prescribing opioids facilitate their diversion and misuse by patients, but it also allows doctors who commit these unlawful acts to exploit their roles as stewards of their patient’s care for their own personal profit.
Titus was convicted of 13 counts of unlawful distribution and dispensing of controlled substances and one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Titus is scheduled to be sentenced on November 9, 2023.
Key Facts
- State: Delaware
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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