Crime & Safety

Fairfield Doc Faces Federal Illegal Prescription Charge

The physician who lives in Fairfield, had practices in Milford and Stamford, according to federal authorities.


A physician from Fairfield with practices in Stamford and Milford is facing a federal charge that he over-prescribed painkillers — including oxycodone — to patients who investigators found were addicted to the drugs and sold them on the streets.

According to U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly's office, Dr. John Katsetos, 52, of Fairfield, was arrested July 1 on a charge that he exceeded the scope of his medical license to dispense controlled substances. 

According to a court affadavit, Katsetos is accused of habitually prescribing painkiller medications to patients without proper examination and documentation. He's accused of being on a state of Connecticut list of being among the top 10 list of physicians who prescribed painkillers in the state — drawing patients from Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts, despite being licensed as a general practitioner.

The accusation is based upon an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration that used confidential informants and undercover agents during the investigation that began in 2011.

Katsetos, who has offices at 90 Morgan St. in Stamford and at 353 Bridgeport Ave., Milford, was arraigned on the charge July 1 and released after posting $1 million bond.

According to the affadavit, an investigation revealed Katsetos's prescriptions raised concern among local pharmacists and law enforcement agencies. He was listed as number 8 on the top 10 list of prescribers of painkillers by the state of Connecticut, according to the affadavit.

According to the records released by the U.S. Attorney's office, from November 2011 to October 2013, Katsetos prescribed "approximately 2,017,466 dosage units (tablets), given to 2,011 patients. This clearly identifies that Katsetos is prescribing narcotic dosage units comparable to those of pain management practitioners; unusual for an internal medicine practitioner." The affadavit also claims he wrote hundreds of similar prescriptions that were filled in New York and Massachusetts.

The affadavit also includes allegations that one of Katsetos's patients was involved in a fatal car crash in Stamford in April. 

The  federal case accuses Katsetos of practicing as a pain-management clinician while being licensed as a general practitioner. 

The federal complaint charges Katsetos with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, as offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $1 million.

The case is being investigated by the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with the assistance of the State of Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Drug Control Division, and several local police departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rahul Kale and Alina Reynolds.  


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