The Virginia Board of Dentistry declined to reinstate the license of a dentist convicted of a multiyear opioid fraud scheme in which he prescribed the drugs to himself and close friends, according to multiple news stories.
Dr. Gary Hartman, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone pills without a legitimate medical purpose, served four years of his eight-and-a-half-year prison term. He served the rest of his sentence on house arrest. Hartman remains under U.S. supervised release.
Between 2014 and 2018, Hartman reportedly offered dental treatment free of charge to low-income members of the community in exchange for filling opioid prescriptions and then returning the pills to him. The opioids, including hydrocodone and oxycodone, were used by Hartman, his friends, and others.
Hartman's actions involved 766 prescriptions written for nonmedical reasons and almost 40,000 oxycodone pills.
The board denied his request for reinstatement despite Hartman saying he has been sober for more than four years and has had no violations while under supervision by a U.S. probation officer, according to the stories.
