Pain management doctor unlawfully prescribed opioids to patients for years, feds say
A West Virginia doctor was convicted of 24 counts of unlawfully distributing opioids and other substances in “dangerous, life-threatening combinations,” federal officials say.
Thomas Romano of Wheeling, West Virginia, operated a pain management clinic just across the border in Martins Ferry, Ohio, according to a Sept. 20 news release from the Department of Justice.
Attorneys for Romano told McClatchy News they plan to appeal the conviction and maintained their client’s innocence.
Federal officials said from 2014 to 2019, Romano prescribed nine patients with more than 137,000 pills, such as opioids, benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants. Romano’s patients traveled hundreds of miles for prescriptions that “exceeded recommended dosages” and “fueled the addiction of the individuals to whom he prescribed,” officials say.
Romano charged $750 for first visits and $120 for follow-up monthly visits, according to the release.
The 73-year-old was convicted by a jury in the Southern District of Ohio. Each charge carries up to 20 years in prison, according to the DOJ.
He does not yet have a sentencing date.
Martins Ferry, Ohio, and Wheeling, West Virginia, are about 60 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.
What to know about the opioid crisis in the US
West Virginia reported the highest rate of drug overdoses in 2021, the year with the most recent data available, at 90.9 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ohio, where Romano’s clinic operated, reported the seventh highest fatality rate.
Overdoses are a leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S., according to the CDC.
In 2021, there were nearly 51,000 overdose deaths in the country, according to CDC data. In the past 21 years, drug overdoses have killed more than 932,000 people, the CDC reported.
“The majority of overdose deaths involve opioids. Deaths involving synthetic opioids (largely illicitly made fentanyl) and stimulants (such as cocaine and methamphetamine) have increased in recent years,” the CDC said. “For every drug overdose that results in death, there are many more nonfatal overdoses, each one with its own emotional and economic toll.”
Millions of people in the U.S. have an opioid addiction, according to the CDC. Addiction is a “chronic and relapsing disease that can affect anyone.”
If you or a loved one shows signs of substance use disorder, you can seek help by calling the national hotline at 1-800-662-4357 or find treatment using SAMHSA's online locator.
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