Doctor accused of running ‘pill mill’ from office

CANTON — The day before the second anniversary of a police raid on his office, Stark County physician Dr. Frank D. Lazzerini was arrested Friday on nearly 300 charges, including involuntary manslaughter in the death of two patients.

Lazzerini is accused of operating a “pill mill” out of his office in Jackson Township.

The 95-page, 272-count secret indictment by a Stark County grand jury made public Friday alleges he trafficked in almost two dozen medications, including opioids, sedatives, anti-anxiety pills, non-opioid painkillers, a steroid and stimulants used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

On Thursday night, Lazzerini told The Canton Repository: “The good news is I haven’t been charged with anything. But the bad news is I haven’t been cleared either.”

He was taken into custody Friday morning, his two years in limbo ending when Stark County sheriff’s deputies found him at his father’s home in Akron, according to jail records.

Lazzerini, 40, of Barberton, was booked into the jail and is being held without bond.

Lazzerini’s medical license has been suspended since June 2016 as part of a consent agreement after police two years ago today raided his office as they investigated whether he was over-prescribing pain medication.

The felony charges in addition to manslaughter include: one count each of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, telecommunications fraud, grand theft, Medicaid fraud, tampering with records; nine counts of aggravated drug trafficking with major drug offender specifications; 81 counts of aggravated drug trafficking; 89 counts of drug trafficking and 86 counts of illegal processing of drug documents, which is writing improper prescriptions.

Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero denied his office was piling on charges to pressure Lazzerini to agree to a plea.

“It probably could have been more,” he said, adding his office hasn’t yet totaled the maximum sentence possible if Lazzerini were convicted. “I’m sure it’s a pretty high figure.”

Ferrero said the maximum sentences for the involuntary manslaughter charges alone are 11 years each. He accused Lazzerini of “operating a pill mill where he was prescribing these opiates for the sake of making money” and seeking improper reimbursement from Medicaid.

Ferrero said an investigation by the Stark County coroner’s office helped show Lazzerini’s improper prescriptions resulted in the deaths of Jaimie Hayhurst in August 2014 and Nathaniel Carder in December 2014.

Ferrero said he does not expect federal charges to be filed at this time.