Niles Physician Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Illegally Prescribing Controlled Substances and Healthcare Fraud

CLEVELAND – Jeffrey Sutton, 65, of Niles, Ohio, was sentenced today to 72 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko, after he pleaded guilty to illegally prescribing patients opioids and other controlled substances, illegally distributing controlled substances and healthcare fraud. Sutton was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised release, a $5,200 special assessment, a $20,000 fine, and restitution of $148,870.79.

According to court documents, from January 2015 through January 2022, Sutton knowingly prescribed medically unnecessary controlled substances to patients outside of the usual course of professional practice and without legitimate medical purpose. In doing so, Sutton fraudulently billed health care benefit programs for office visits and the controlled substances illegally dispensed.

Sutton also admitted to engaging in sexual acts with patients to whom he directly prescribed controlled substances, including during office visits. He also admitted to delivering dozens of oxycodone pills to the home of one of his patients with whom he was engaged in a relationship, outside the course of treatment and without a valid prescription.

The investigation was conducted by the Cleveland offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Morrison.