COLUMBUS, OH – Thomas Romano, a 73-year-old physician from Wheeling, West Virginia, was convicted by a federal jury today for illegally distributing opioids and other controlled substances through his self-named pain management clinic in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio. Romano charged hefty fees and prescribed dangerous combinations of medication, fueling the addiction of his patients. Between 2014 and 2019, he prescribed over 137,000 pills, including opioids, to nine individuals.
Romano was convicted on 24 counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has yet to be determined.
Officials from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the DEA, FBI, and HHS-OIG, as well as the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation and the Ohio Board of Pharmacy. The case is being prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, which leads the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force. Since 2018, this strike force has charged over 115 individuals responsible for issuing prescriptions for over 115 million controlled substance pills.