NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A Staten Island doctor admitted to illegally prescribing “dangerous quantities” of oxycodone to patients in exchange for sexual favors, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Joseph Santiamo, 65, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone via video conference on Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey said in a press release.
Many of the patients Santiamo wrote prescriptions for “were dealing with pain and addiction, and instead of getting help from their doctor, they were drawn deeper into the cycle of drug abuse,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpentino said in a statement.
“[Santiamo] knowingly prescribed for his patients dangerous quantities of oxycodone, and even more egregiously, solicited sexual favors from certain patients who were struggling with substance abuse in exchange for writing them additional opioid prescriptions,” Carpentino said.
“His admission of guilt today ensures that he will be appropriately punished for this behavior,” he added.
Santiamo, who specialized in internal medicine and geriatric care, operated a practice on Staten Island between Jan. 1, 2012 and May 3, 2018, the attorney’s office said in the release.
During that time, the physician prescribed “large quantities” of oxycodone to patients who had no medical reason for taking the highly-addictive pain medication, prosecutors said.
He also “solicited sexual favors” from some of his patients, all of whom were under the age of 40 and “would not typically be treated by a geriatric care physician,” according to prosecutors.
Santiamo, whose medical license has been suspended, could face up to 20 years in prison, as well as a $1 million fine, if he is convicted, the attorney's office said.
He is expected to be sentenced on April 12, 2021.