Creep of the Week –
Dec. 9, 2020 – He took particular interest in his younger patients who were struggling with substance abuse and prescribed them powerful narcotics in exchange for sexual favors, officials said.
“These patients were all under the age of 40 and wouldn’t normally be treated by a geriatric care physician,” according to prosecutors.
“Many of these patients were dealing with pain and addiction, and instead of getting help from their doctor, they were drawn deeper into the cycle of drug abuse,” said New Jersey US Attorney Craig Carpenito in a statement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Santiamo in 2017 after learning that patients were traveling great distances to score powerful narcotics prescriptions and using multiple pharmacies to fill them, according to court papers.
“Santiamo wrote prescriptions for controlled substances in doses that far exceed what might be medically necessary for an ordinary patient,” the complaint states.
Santiamo, who is free on $250,000 bond, is scheduled to be sentenced April 12, 2021, and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, court records show.
“This defendant not only violated his oath to help people, he took advantage of them when they were most vulnerable for his own selfish needs,” said DEA Special Agent.
