An Illinois dentist has been arrested, accused of removing portions of fentanyl from his patients’ anesthesia and hoarding it for “personal use,” prosecutors say.
Phillip Jensen, 61, of Rochester, Illinois, was taken into custody Monday, on a slew of charges including acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, according to court records and a Monday news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois.
Jensen, who served the Springfield-area and was authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispense controlled substances, allegedly adulterated the fentanyl he was supposed to use as anesthesia for his patients during surgeries starting as early as December 2019 into at least August 2020.
Before surgeries, Jensen allegedly pierced the fentanyl vials, removed half the fentanyl then refilled the vials with another solution, prosecutors said.
He “administered the adulterated fentanyl, which was now at half its labeled strength, to his patients,” the release stated.
The portion he removed, he “set it aside for his personal use,” prosecutors said.
On one occasion when Jenson administered the tampered fentanyl to a patient, it “resulted in serious bodily injury to that patient,” according to the indictment.
The indictment alleges Jenson committed drug diversion on at least eight different occasions, “in which he knowingly distributed a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl … outside the scope of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purpose.”
It’s not clear who he distributed the synthetic opioid to.
The indictment also accuses Jensen of acquiring fentanyl by fraud for obtaining the drug from the vials and concealing the removal by refilling it with another substance and replacing the safety caps.
Overall, Jensen was charged with eight counts of drug diversion, eight counts of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, one count of tampering with consumer products, and three counts of false statements related to health care matters, prosecutors said.
Jensen made his initial court appearance before Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins at the federal courthouse in Springfield on Monday.
Jensen’s attorney, Daniel L. Fultz, declined to comment on the charges and said his client is entering a plea of not guilty.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
