Pittsburgh Dentist Charged with Illegally Distributing Painkillers

A Pittsburgh dentist has been indicted by a federal grand jury on six counts of improperly distributing oxycodone.

According to court documents, Daniel Garner was accused of dispensing the painkillers without valid medical reasons from Feb. 13, 2014 to June 11, 2015.

The grand jury charged Garner on a separate count of omitting crucial information on a US Drug Enforcement Administration form, specifically, that he had previously lost his registration number for not following federal regulations on prescribing controlled substances.

If convicted, Garner could be given a maximum total sentence on all counts of up to 124 years in prison, a fine of $6,250,000, a term of supervised release of three years, or both.

However, under federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence would depend on the severity of the offenses and any prior criminal history.

The American Dental Association is currently updating its guidelines of proper opioid use and the revised version is slated for release in early 2017.

According to ADA council members, “Every year, millions of adolescents receive their first introduction to opioids following the extraction of their third molars. Many of these young adults may have never received these centrally acting analgesics before in their lives. We have a special responsibility to counsel them about their dangers and educate them about their safe use of opioids when taken for acute postoperative pain.”

Federal prosecutors currently plan to seize Garner’s Pittsburgh office, because it was allegedly used to aid in drug crimes.