Beaver, WV (WOAY)-A former doctor with ties to multiple West Virginia pain clinics has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.
56-year-old Sanjay Mehta of Shady Spring admitted in court Thursday to three counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of controlled substances by fraud.
Investigators say Mehta wrote unlawful prescriptions for opioids like oxycodone and methadone while working at the HOPE Clinic in Beckley and Beaver, despite having no formal training in treating chronic pain.
Two of the three patients named in his plea later died from opioid overdoses.
Mehta faces up to four years in prison and a $750,000 fine when he’s sentenced on October 31.
He’s agreed to surrender his DEA license and will not seek re-registration.
Mehta was one of several doctors charged in connection with the HOPE Clinic and the company that managed it.
Two co-defendants are scheduled for trial in October.
Federal prosecutors say the case is part of ongoing efforts to hold medical professionals accountable for fueling the opioid crisis.
