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Yutong Zhang, 63, of Berwyn, pleaded guilty to an Information charging four counts of distributing oxycodone outside of the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose, United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said in a Thursday, Feb. 3 release.
Zhang is accused of selling medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone to approximately 120 patients at his St. Davids pain clinic from 2016 to 2020, according to Williams.
The patients are believed to have paid Zhang in cash in exchange for the painkillers, which he allegedly provided after conducting a cursory physical exam or without any exam at all, she said.
He failed to order diagnostic testing to determine the root cause of the pain reported by patients, the federal attorney said.
Zhang received his medical degree from Shanxi Medical University in China and has been in practice for more than 21 years, according to his bio on U.S News and World Report.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to stopping drug-dealing doctors like Zhang,” said Williams.
“As a physician, he was well aware of the inherently dangerous nature of the drugs he was selling. But because of his greed, he took advantage of vulnerable people struggling with addiction, piling on to the enormous opioid epidemic ravaging the communities in our District.”
“Medical practitioners are trusted to care for our health needs,” said Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire.
“When they exploit their position and betray their license to line their own pockets, they not only corrupt the system, they contribute to the very epidemic we are trying so hard to fight. This defendant’s actions were akin to those of a drug dealer; the only difference is, he peddled his poison from an office instead of a street corner.”
The case was investigated by the Radnor Police Department, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Abrams.
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