Ex-doctor pleads guilty to drug charges over patient deaths

SHERMAN, Texas – A former North Texas pain management doctor accused of prescribing painkillers that contributed to the deaths of at least seven people in two states has pleaded guilty to federal drug distribution charges.

Federal prosecutors say 57-year-old Howard Gregg Diamond pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and other charges. Diamond will serve 20 years in federal prison.

A federal grand jury alleged last year that Diamond conspired with others to write unnecessary prescriptions for highly addictive drugs like fentanyl, hydrocodone and morphine. Prosecutors alleged the prescriptions resulted in seven deaths in Texas and Oklahoma from 2012 to 2016.

Peter Schulte, Diamond’s attorney, told the Dallas Morning News Diamond acknowledged responsibility for just one patient overdose.

The Texas Medical Board suspended Diamond last year.

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Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com