Story at a glance
- An Illinois dentist is charged with multiple counts of drug diversion, acquiring a controlled substance fraudulently and tampering with consumer product.
- Phillip Jensen allegedly pierced vials of fentanyl and removed a portion for himself and replaced the vial with a different substance.
- The fentanyl vials were meant to be used as anesthesia for patients during surgery.
An Illinois dentist has been indicted and arrested for diverting vials of fentanyl meant for his patients and setting it aside for his personal use.
Phillip Jensen, a 61-year-old dentist from Rochester, Ill. is accused of piercing vials of fentanyl, removing half of the drug and setting it aside for his personal use. He then refilled the half empty vial of fentanyl with another solution, administering adulterated fentanyl to patients that was intended to be used as anesthesia during surgeries.
A federal grand jury found that in one instance when Jensen administered fentanyl he adulterated, it went to a specific patient that resulted in serious bodily harm to the patient.
Jensen was legally authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispense controlled substances as early as December 2019 and through at least August 2020.
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In addition to that, Jensen allegedly acquired fentanyl by fraud eight times, obtaining the fentanyl from vials, concealing his removal of the substance by refilling the vials with another, undisclosed, substance and replacing the vials’ safety caps.
Daniel Fultz, Jensen’s attorney, told Changing America he has no comment regarding his client’s latest charges and that Jensen has entered pleas of not guilty.
The U.S. States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois announced Jensen’s indictment, which includes eight counts of drug diversion, eight counts of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, one count of tampering with consumer products and three counts of false statements related to health care matters.
The indictment alleges Jensen committed multiple federal offenses, which includes knowingly distributing a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of a fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, outside the scope of professional practice, therefore not for a legitimate medical purpose.
Throughout Jensen’s illicit behavior, the jury found that he willingly falsified, concealed and covered up the nature and extent of his services to patients at his dental practice in connection with the delivery of health care benefits.
If convicted, he could face a maximum of 20 years in prison for drug diversion, an additional 20 years for tampering with consumer products, up to four years for acquiring a controlled substance by fraud and up to five years for a false statement related to health care matters.
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