Greensburg doctor convicted of illegal pain-pill distribution

A federal court jury on Thursday evening convicted a Westmoreland County doctor on 14 of 56 counts pertaining to the illegal distribution of narcotics in exchange for sexual favors.

The government’s evidence in the six-day trial of Dr. Milad Shaker, 50, of Greensburg, showed that from October 2015 through March 2017, he dispensed hydrocodone, Percoset and tramadol to a patient in return for sex or sexual photos and texts. He met the patient at hotels in Westmoreland and Fayette counties — or, in some cases, on the side of the road — to have sex in exchange for the drugs.

During cross-examination, according to the U.S. attorney’s office, Shaker defended his prescribing by saying “opioids are like candy” and “10 to 20 opioid pills will not hurt you.”

Shaker had been indicted initially in the fall of 2018 on 54 counts of unlawful distribution in exchange for sex or sexual messaging by text. One count involved health care fraud in that prosecutors said he caused fraudulent claims to be submitted to Highmark and Aetna to cover costs for the pills.

The grand jury later added two new counts of witness tampering and lying to the FBI.

Shaker ran family practice and urgent care clinics in Donegal and Mount Pleasant. The grand jury said he distributed the pills in exchange for sex or text messages from two women, “B.S.” and “T.S.”

He was also accused of lying to agents on Dec. 5, 2017, by saying he had sex only with T.S. and of trying the next day to convince B.S. to delete incriminating texts about their relationship from her phone.

The trial jury found him guilty of 14 counts, all pertaining to illegal pill distribution. Jurors acquitted him on the other similar counts and also on the counts of health care fraud, witness tampering and lying to agents.

Shaker was among more than 25 local doctors and medical professionals targeted in this district in the last two years as part of a crackdown on physicians who contributed to the opioid crisis by illegally prescribing pain pills. The Drug Enforcement Administration says the heroin crisis has been largely driven by painpill addiction and unscrupulous doctors are partly to blame.

U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon allowed Shaker to remain free on bond, but he can’t see, treat or prescribe any drugs to anyone, either by himself or through his staff. She will sentence him in February.