W.Va. jury acquits 2 Allegheny County doctors

Accused of doling out drugs for cash

Two Allegheny County doctors indicted last year on charges of doling out Suboxone to addicts for cash have been acquitted by a West Virginia jury.

Dr. Krishan Aggarwal, 74, of Moon, and Dr. Cherian John, 66, of Coraopolis, were found not guilty Thursday in federal court in Wheeling after a nine-day trial.

The two doctors were among five indicted last year as part of an investigation into Redirections Treatment Advocates, an addiction clinic based in Washington, Pa., with offices in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Dr. Aggarwal’s wife, Dr. Madhu Aggarwal, was indicted in Pittsburgh along with the owner of Redirections, Jennifer Hess, and the operations manager, Chris Handa.

pleaded guilty, as has Ms. Hess, Mr. Handa and Dr. Michael Bummer of Sewickley.

A fifth doctor, Bharill Parth, is awaiting trial in West Virginia.

All of the doctors were contract employees at Redirections. The practice employed a total of eight doctors at clinics in Washington, Bridgeville and three West Virginia towns.

Federal prosecutors said the doctors conspired with Ms. Hess to issue prescriptions outside the scope of real treatment in exchange for cash.

Dr. Krishan Aggarwal and Dr. John worked at the clinic in Weirton, which is why they were prosecuted in West Virginia.

Their lawyers said they were trying to help addicts and are not the criminals the Justice Department made them out to be.

“For the past year, Dr. John has been fighting these false charges from the government stemming from his treatment of patients who suffered from opioid addiction,” Stephen Stallings, his Pittsburgh lawyer, said in a statement. “But Dr. John was always one of the good guys in the war on opioids, as we proved in this trial.”

Dr. Krishan Aggarwal’s lawyers, Ronald Chapman II, of Detroit, and Michael Nogay, of Weirton, said witnesses told the jury that the doctor helped them recover.

“Patient after patient took the stand and told the sad story of their addiction and the positive outcomes they received through treatment from Dr. Aggarwal,” Mr. Nogay said. “These former opioid users are now gainfully employed and contributing members of society.”

The jury deliberated about eight hours. The doctors declined comment, but the lawyers thanked the jury for their service.

Bill Powell, the U.S. attorney in Wheeling, said the jury’s decision won’t deter his office from pursuing cases involving opioids.

“Notwithstanding the verdict, we remain steadfast in our intention to prosecute matters which we believe, based upon the evidence, support prosecution,” he said in a statement Friday. “Though we disagree with the jury in this case, the jury has spoken and that is part of the process, which we have the utmost respect for. Our team worked very hard and this verdict will not deter our efforts on the opioid front.”

In the Pittsburgh cases, Dr. Madhu Aggarwal is set to be sentenced next month, as are Dr. Bummer and Mr. Handa. Ms. Hess will be sentenced in October.

Their various plea hearings laid out how the scheme was conducted at Redirections.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Cessar said Ms. Hess filled out and sometimes signed doctors’ names on blank prescriptions. Redirections accepted only cash or credit cards, charging $175 for a first visit and $120 after that. The doctors conducted cursory exams of patients on the first visit and didn’t offer any follow-ups, nor did Redirections provide any counseling for addicts as required by law.

Drs. Bummer and Madhu Aggarwal signed blank prescriptions in advance and gave them to Ms. Hess and Mr. Handa, who filled in the patient’s name, date and the prescription. On some occasions, Ms. Hess and Mr. Handa signed the doctors’ names themselves.

The doctors, who weren’t in the office, were paid based on the number of patient visits and prescriptions they provided.