Doctor Gets Nearly 17 Years in Prison for Vast Opioid Scheme

Doctor Gets Nearly 17 Years in Prison for Vast Opioid Scheme
A file photo of a judge's gavel. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The Associated Press
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DETROIT—A Detroit-area doctor was sentenced Monday to nearly 17 years in prison and ordered to pay $30 million for leading a scheme to bill Medicare and private insurers for unnecessary painkiller injections and write prescriptions for millions of opioids.

Frank Patino’s fraud lasted years and was one of the most egregious health care schemes in U.S. history, prosecutors said.