An Illinois dentist was sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing fentanyl from patients, injecting them with adulterated drugs and performing surgery without proper pain management.
From as early as December 2019 until at least August 2020, Phillip Jensen, DMD, stole fentanyl intended to help patients manage pain by withdrawing part of the substance from single-use vials and refilling the vials with saline. Dr. Jensen obtained a total of more than 40 grams of fentanyl through these actions. He also made false entries in his records to hide his actions, and used these falsified records to bill public and private insurers.
He pleaded guilty in August to two counts of drug diversion, two counts of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, one count of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of false statements relating to healthcare matters.
In addition to his prison sentence, Dr. Jenson must pay a $200,000 fine and repay the government additional costs for an expert witness hired for the case.
Dr. Jensen's license was revoked as a result of his conduct, according to a Dec. 20 news release from the Department of Justice.