Fairfield Doctor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Prescribing Oxycodone, Health Care Fraud

A Fairfield doctor who practiced medicine for more than 20 years, most recently out of offices in Stamford and Milford, has pleaded guilty to illegally prescribing oxycodone and defrauding government programs.

Dr. John Katsetos, 53, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty May 1 in Hartford federal court to narcotics distribution and health care fraud offenses stemming from his illegal dispensation of oxycodone and other controlled substances well outside of the scope of accepted medical practice.

Katsetos, who was arrested July, 2014 following an investigation that included the use of undercover officers, faces a maximum term of 30 years in prison and fine of up to $1.25 million.

If the terms of a plea agreement are accepted, Katsetos faces between 48 months and 84 months of imprisonment, $497,789 in restitution, and forfeiture of $550,000, which represents the value of his medical practice.

A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

“We are committed to uncovering and prosecuting those involved in narcotics distribution regardless of their station in life, and especially anyone who uses their medical license to flood the community with controlled substances that feed addictions and have a corrosive effect on our communities,” United States Attorney Deidre Daly said in a release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Katsetos practiced medicine for more than 20 years, most recently out of offices located at 90 Morgan Street in Stamford and 353 Bridgeport Avenue in Milford.

In pleading guilty, Katsetos admitted that he failed to perform rudimentary examinations of patients to justify the controlled substances he prescribed, and that he had been warned by a doctor and several pharmacists, some of whom stopped filling his prescriptions, that he should stop prescribing oxycodone and other narcotic pain medications to certain patients who showed obvious signs of addiction.

The investigation showed that Katsetos ignored the warnings and continued to prescribe controlled substances, including oxycodone, to these patients outside of the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, according to the release.

Katsetos also acknowledged that he saw multiple patients at once and billed Medicare and Medicaid for individual visits for each of those patients.

“As the number of Medicare beneficiaries continues to increase, it is paramount that we work hard to expose unscrupulous providers who treat government health care programs as their personal piggy banks,” Daly said.

Katsetos pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute narcotics, and one count of health care fraud.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson said the success of the investigation was a “direct result of the hard work and dedication of the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. The DEA New England Field Division is committed to investigating those individuals who engage in the illicit distribution of prescription pain killers.”

Daly encouraged individuals who suspect health care fraud to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

Also on Patch:

• Fairfield Man Accused of Attempting to Strangle Wife During House-Cleaning Argument
• Fairfield Man, 23, Charged with Possessing Various Drugs
• Report: Fairfield Teen Threatened to Kill Former Neighbors via Facebook
• Drunk Stratford Driver Hits Several Cars on Devon Bridge, Flees; Several Injuries Reported: Police