Kentucky doctor sentenced to 20 years over prescribing that led to patient’s death
A Kentucky dentist convicted of illegally prescribing morphine to a patient who died of a drug overdose has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, according to federal authorities.
A Covington jury acquitted Jay M. Sadrinia, 61, on three charges of illegally prescribing opioid painkillers, but convicted him on one charge of illegally prescribing morphine and one charge of illegally prescribing morphine that resulted in the death of a 24-year-old woman in 2020.
Sadrinia, of Villa Hills, operated several dental offices in Northern Kentucky, including Tri-State Dental Implants, where the woman who died was a patient.
In a sentencing memorandum, attorneys for Sadrinia pointed to testimonials from former patients who described him as a skilled, kind, caring dentist.
Former employees said he was dedicated to providing high-quality care, and some other dentists also lauded his professionalism and compassion, according to the memo.
Defense attorneys argued that Sadrinia was convicted based on a single prescription to a person who misused the powerful painkiller.
However, federal prosecutors cited several other examples of improper prescribing by Sadrinia, including prescribing opioid painkillers for a woman who told him she had a history of addiction and was in treatment at the time.
Sadrinia engaged in “shoddy” practices that included performing ineffective procedures, billing patients for services he didn’t perform— including the woman who died — and prescribing pain drugs without doing any dental work at all, prosecutors said in a sentencing memo.
“This was an ongoing practice that Sadrinia had of prescribing opioids to his patients in order to ensure his own profits,” prosecutors wrote.
Sadrinia had employees write favorable Google reviews of his work — even though he was not treating them — to attract patients, and pushed patients to write good reviews, handing them an iPad while they were still in the chair, prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning sentenced Sadrinia May 10 and ordered him taken into custody immediately.
