HARRISBURG, PA — A Venango County surgeon is facing criminal charges after state investigators alleged he exploited his access to patient records to illegally obtain prescription opioids for a personal relationship, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced.
Justin Adibi, 35, of Oil City, was arrested Thursday and charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, identity theft, and theft by unlawful taking. Bail was set at $50,000, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 21, 2026.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the investigation determined that in late September 2024, Adibi allegedly used confidential patient files to prescribe Oxycodone to two surgical patients. Authorities said the prescriptions were electronically transmitted to the patients’ preferred pharmacies, after which Adibi allegedly picked up the medication himself and provided it to his then-significant other.
At the time of the alleged conduct, Adibi was employed as a surgeon at two UPMC hospitals in Venango County. Investigators said the prescriptions were not intended for the patients’ use but were instead part of an alleged scheme to unlawfully obtain the powerful opioid.
“Patients trust their doctors with deeply personal information and to do right by them, and this doctor blatantly broke that trust,” Attorney General Sunday said in a statement. “In this case, the defendant took advantage of having access to patient information to illegally supply his paramour with doses of a potent and addictive substance.”
UPMC cooperated with investigators during the inquiry, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Roger Bauer.
All criminal charges are allegations. Any suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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