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A 62-year-old osteopath from Bingham Farms faces up to 20 years in federal prison for health-care fraud and distributing five controlled substances for non-medical reasons.
(Photos: DepositPhotos)
Dr. David Jankowski, found guilty Monday of 30 counts in a two-month Detroit jury trial, will be sentenced Nov. 15, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison.
At his former Summit Medical Group pain clinics in Dearborn Heights and Southfield, he wrote or authorized 3.37 million prescriptions for highly addictive Oxycontin, Oxycodone, morphine, hydrocodone, Xanax and other drugs "for no legitimate medical purpose in exchange for compensation," according to the federal prosecutor's office.
Patients were attracted to and steered to his practice by easy access to controlled substances, the government says. "Many of these patients had no need for the drugs. Instead, the controlled substances were sold on the streets to feed the addictions of opioid addicts," according to the release.
Trial testimony and exhibits showed Jankowski got $29.3 million in fraudulent treatment payments from Michigan auto insurers and private health care insurers, as well as $6 million from Medicare and Medicaid.
"The improper distribution of prescription drugs outside the course of ordinary medical practice causes significant harm," said Ison. "It is particularly disturbing when a trusted physician is the vehicle for the illegal distribution of opioids."
In addition to running two clinics, Jankowski was affiliated with Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn, online directories show.
He's among more than five dozen Southeast Michigan doctors charged since 2017 with running pill mill operations.
