A New Jersey cardiologist was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Wednesday for unlawfully issuing thousands of oxycodone pills to a couple.
Raymond Catania, 60, of Warren, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to charges that he distributed “oxycodone outside of the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced in a statement through the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The defendant was also fined $25,000 by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp and sentenced to three years of supervised release, in addition to his prison sentence.
From January 2016 to March 2017, Catania, at his cardiology practice in Watchung, New Jersey, issued thousands of prescription oxycodone pills to a patient without a legitimate medical reason, according to court filings.
“Oxycodone – a Schedule II controlled substance – has a high potential for abuse that can lead to severe psychological and physical dependence and can result in fatal overdoses,” the statement noted.
Not only did Catania unlawfully give the highly addictive opioid to that patient, but he also issued thousands of oxycodone pills to the patient’s wife, despite her not even being Catania’s patient.