Harrison County doctor sentenced to over six years for illegal prescription practices

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Paul McCaffrey Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky | Facebook

Harrison County doctor sentenced to over six years for illegal prescription practices

A Harrison County physician, Michael Gainey, 70, has been sentenced to 80 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove.

Court documents show that Gainey practiced family medicine in Harrison County and prescribed controlled substances to several patients with whom he had personal relationships. According to his plea agreement, Gainey knew the prescriptions were not within legitimate medical practice because he relaxed prescribing standards for these individuals. The misconduct involved issuing prescriptions for drugs such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, gabapentin, and others from as early as 2015 through fall 2023.

Federal law requires Gainey to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for release. After completing his prison term, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years.

“While the nature of the opioid epidemic in Kentucky has changed, bad prescriptions for these highly addictive drugs continue to be contributing factor,” said Acting United States Attorney Paul McCaffrey.  “Solving this crisis requires a zero-tolerance policy for physicians like Dr. Gainey who intentionally abuse their prescribing authority.”

“The vast majority of doctors take their oath to first do no harm very seriously, but every now and then we arrest one that is just a drug dealer in a white lab coat, like Dr. Gainey,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Louisville Division.  “Dr. Gainey chose to put his own needs above those of his patients and now he will have to answer for his misdeeds.”

The case was announced jointly by Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey, DEA Special Agent in Charge Scott, and Director Mark Burden of the Bluegrass Narcotics Taskforce.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bluegrass Narcotics Taskforce. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Boone prosecuted the case.