SCRANTON, PA — A Pike County physician has been sentenced to 264 months, or 22 years, in prison for unlawfully prescribing deadly opioids. Martin Evers, 66, was found guilty of prescribing oxycodone, fentanyl, and methadone to three patients, one of whom tragically died as a result of using the drugs.
The sentence was handed down this week by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani. In addition to his lengthy prison term, Evers has been ordered to pay a $50,000 fine and will be supervised by a probation officer for three years following his release from prison.
United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam announced Evers’ conviction on December 5, 2022, following a jury’s deliberation of just two hours. Evers was found guilty on all 71 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances, as outlined in the superseding indictment. The substances included oxycodone, fentanyl, and methadone — all classified as Schedule II controlled substances — and diazepam, a Schedule IV controlled substance.
One of the counts for which Evers was convicted involved the unlawful distribution of oxycodone and fentanyl, which resulted in the death of a 48-year-old Monroe County woman on February 11, 2019.
During the three-week trial, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented compelling evidence, including testimony from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Diversion Division, six pharmacists who refused to fill Evers’ prescriptions, and a Walmart Global Investigations witness who testified about Walmart’s nationwide ban on filling all narcotic prescriptions issued by Evers.
Expert witnesses also took the stand, including a pain medicine expert, a toxicologist, and a pathologist. A Pennsylvania State Police officer and a representative from the Monroe County Coroner’s Office also testified.
At the time of the charges in the superseding indictment, Evers was employed by the Bon Secours Charity Health System and practiced as a primary care physician in Milford, Pennsylvania. He was licensed and authorized to prescribe controlled substances for legitimate medical purposes. However, his license has since been revoked.
The jury found that Evers had repeatedly prescribed oxycodone, fentanyl, and methadone outside the usual course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purposes. As a result, addiction and death occurred among his patients.
Following the jury’s verdict on December 5, 2022, Judge Mariani ordered Evers detained.
The two-year-long investigation that led to this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its Diversion Division, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Olshefski and Jenny Roberts prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of a district-wide initiative aimed at combating the nationwide epidemic of heroin and other opioids. Spearheaded by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative focuses on targeting heroin and opioid traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. It is a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved in opioid trafficking offenses.
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