Indian-American doctor pleads guilty to illegally prescribing opioids
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 May, 2023 11:20 AM
New York, May 16 (IANS) A 76-year-old Indian-origin physician has admitted that he illegally prescribed opioids to patients outside the usual course of his professional practice in the US.
Sawtantra Chopra, of Modesto in California, pleaded guilty to three counts of illegally prescribing opioids and other medication, US Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced last week.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 5 by US District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston.
According to court documents, Chopra, who was arrested in 2018, prescribed drugs -- including hydrocodone, alprazolam (Xanax), and Promethazine with codeine syrup -- not for a legitimate medical purpose.
These drugs are highly addictive and commonly abused.
They affect the central nervous system and may only be prescribed when medically required.
Chopra was arrested in 2018 and surrendered his medical license in 2020.
He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Local Sikh volunteers of United Sikhs have setup a camp to move flood-affected families to safe areas and provide them with food, water, and other immediate supplies under the leadership of the organisation's representative in Pakistan, Herdyal Singh.
Ever since the family was informed about the alleged murder of Ashutosh, they have been seeking help from the Central and the state governments. Dwivedi was pursuing a medical degree in an Armenia based medical college. A family member told IANS that Dwivedi had gone to Armenia in 2020 and he was a fourth year medical student.
Gorbachev, who during his seven years in power made dramatic reforms that paved the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, died Tuesday at a Moscow hospital at 91.
Sikhs and Hindus make up only a tiny fraction of the population of Afghanistan, which is almost entirely Muslim. Under the Taliban in the late 1990s, they were asked to identify themselves by wearing yellow armbands or badges, reminiscent of Nazi Germany, and in recent years they have been repeatedly targeted by extremists.
In the week from August 15-21, there were 21 per cent fewer cases than in the previous week, dpa news agency quoted the global health body as saying in a statement issued on Thursday. In the previous four weeks, the numbers had been rising.
As heavy rain has lashed parts of the US, a search is underway for an Indian-American woman who went missing during a flash flood in Utah's Zion National Park. On Monday, park spokesman Jonathan Shafer said that the search for Jetal Agnihotri, 29, who was swept away by a flash flood on August 19, has been extended.
