Rochester, NY (WBEN) A Clarence doctor has been sentenced to two years probation after he was convicted of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and making material false statements.
55 year old Dr. Anthony Leone, was a licensed spine and general orthopedic surgeon and Drug Enforcement Administration registrant, completed a controlled substance form for Henry Schein, a commercial distributor of controlled substances. One of the questions on the form asked Leone if he used "any controlled substances ordered to treat family members," to which he responded, "no." That statement was false. Leone in fact ordered zolpidem for treatment of an identified family member.
Federal prosecutors say the form asked Leone whether he used any of the controlled drug items he ordered for his own personal use, to which he again falsely responded "no," as Leone ordered Adderall XR, tramadol, and clonazepam for his own personal use.
Prosecutors say the form asked if his office performed surgery or any other in office procedures that required the use of controlled substances, to which he responded with the following: "Procedures performed on an outpatient basis: Epidural steroid injections and facet injections, outpatient procedure: lumbar and [illegible word] spine reconstructive surgery." Prosecutors say that statement was also false in that Leone did not administer or dispense controlled substances in his office, but instead, wrote patients prescriptions for fulfillment at a pharmacy.
Thereafter, Leone ordered and received bulk quantities of Adderall XR, hydrocodone, both Schedule II controlled substances, and clonazepam, tramadol, and zolpidem, all Schedule IV controlled substances from Henry Schein.
On April 24, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted an administrative search at Leone's offices located at 934 Cleveland Drive in Cheektowaga, NY. During that search, he told DEA agents that he ordered quantities of hydrocodone, which he dispensed to patients. Prosecutors say Leone was transporting the hydrocodone from his medical office in Cheektowaga to his residence in Clarence, where he stored them for his own personal use.
Leone issued this statement: "My family and I are grateful that this ordeal, which never really ends for me, is through the justice system. We want to thank U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford for her understanding in this process. I was very pleased that Judge Wolford recognized, and was impressed with, the efforts that I have made over the last year and a half. I take responsibility, as I did in court in September, for writing my own prescriptions for addictive painkillers. That was wrong and I apologize. After months of extensive rehab and agreeing to participate in a state run program for physicians health and rehabilitation, I have eliminated these medications from my life and have been attending to my patients for over a year. I want to thank all of them for their demonstrated faith in me as a physician. I certainly did not set out to become an example of what not to do, but if my story helps others, as a warning about these dangerous drugs, that will be a bonus."
