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Indian-origin doctor pleads guilty in West Virginia opioid case
Sanjay Mehta unlawfully prescribed opioids to patients, two of whom died from overdoses within days of receiving the medications.
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Pranavi Sharma - Wed, 16, Jul 2025
- 03:11 EDT
- 22
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Stock image. / Shutterstock
Sanjay Mehta, a 57-year-old physician of Indian origin from Shady Spring, West Virginia, pleaded guilty on July 10 to three federal drug charges for unlawfully prescribing opioids to patients, two of whom died from overdoses within days of receiving the medications.
Mehta admitted to aiding and abetting the fraudulent acquisition of controlled substances while employed at HOPE Clinic, a pain management facility that operated in Beckley, Beaver, and Charleston, West Virginia, as well as in Wytheville, Virginia.
According to court records, Mehta worked at the Beckley branch of HOPE Clinic from November 2012 to July 2013, and then at the Beaver location until May 2015. He had no formal training in treating chronic pain or in prescribing Schedule II narcotics when he was recruited.
As part of his plea, Mehta acknowledged writing opioid prescriptions—including oxycodone, methadone, and Roxicodone—for three patients without a legitimate medical purpose. Two of those patients died of opioid intoxication shortly after.
He will be sentenced on Oct.31, 2025. He faces up to four years in prison, a $750,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. He has also agreed to surrender his DEA license and not seek re-registration.
Mehta was first indicted in 2018 along with others linked to HOPE Clinic and its managing group, Patients, Physicians and Pharmacists Fighting Diversion (PPPFD). The indictment accuses them of conspiring to distribute controlled substances between November 2010 and June 2015 outside the bounds of legal medical practice. Six other doctors have pleaded guilty in connection with the same investigation.
Mark T. Radcliffe, 68, the owner-operator of PPPFD, and Dr. Michael T. Moran, 60, are scheduled to go on trial October 6.
Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston said, “It is readily evident that the Southern District of West Virginia has been severely impacted by the opioid crisis. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to bringing to justice those whose criminal conduct contributes to this crisis and worsens its most tragic consequences.”
Ronald Dawkins of the FDA’s criminal investigations division added, “Medical professionals who cause the distribution of controlled substances not for legitimate medical purposes... can cause significant harm. This case demonstrates that we will hold accountable individuals who would compromise patient safety for personal gain.”
The case was handled by United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Brian D. Parsons.
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