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On Thursday, May 25, the US District Attorney’s Eastern District of New York announced that Dr. Frank Parasmo, a former doctor from Deer Park, was sentenced to 36 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release, for unlawfully distributing prescriptions for oxycodone.
Between January 2014 and February 2015, Parasmo, aged 76, provided oxycodone and hydrocodone prescriptions to 18 patients without a legitimate medical purpose and outside of the course of professional medical practice, according to the trial.
In many cases, Parasmo prescribed these pills to patients that he knew were taking illegal drugs or those he suspected were addicts.
The risk of overdose is significant when oxycodone is mixed with cocaine or heroin.
Parasmo also prescribed pills to patients who had been released from the hospital following an overdose and patients who had just left rehab.
The US District Attorney’s Office reported that the doctor continued writing prescriptions even after being warned that some patients were misusing the pills or reselling them in the streets.
Over the five years, Parasmo prescribed over 1.5 million oxycodone and hydrocodone pills — one of the top prescribers in New York state.
Once Parasmo found out he was being investigated by the DEA, the doctor cut his prescription numbers in half.
“Today’s sentence demonstrates that there are significant consequences for doctors who act as drug dealers,” stated U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.
“This Office remains committed to using all tools available to address the damage the opioid crisis does to our communities.”
In 2020, New York State saw 4,233 opioid-related deaths, which was up 44 percent from the year before.
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