David Ciancimino, MD, 63, was an independent solo practitioner practicing psychiatry and neurology/psychiatry in Shelton, CT. He was also an assistant clinical professor at Yale University School of Medicine for 29 years where he taught and supervised medical students, did inpatient psychiatry, was a consultant to medicine and surgery services, and treated college students. He was also on active staff at Bridgeport Hospital and courtesy staff at Saint Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, CT. So I’m sure he knew his medicine, how to evaluate patients, and there was no justification on the attack on him.  He was probably like most doctors, thinking “I’m safe from attack because I do everything right.”  Sorry, doc. That thinking is why the government is getting away with these attacks. Doctors are simply low-hanging fruit to be plucked at will.

Dr. Ciancimino became a government target in October 2020, using his prescribing of benzodiazepines, such as Xanax, and stimulants, such as Adderall, even though as a psychiatrist, those are medicines he would normally be prescribing.  The government sent in an undercover federal agent. In the prosecuting argument, they stated that the officer paid $200 for the visit, which is at least average cost, or maybe even lower than some. They then complained that there was little or no medical exam.  But a psychiatric appointment doesn’t require a medical exam. In fact, in real life if a psychiatrist were to do a medical exam, a woman might consider that assault or sexual abuse.  So it is obvious that the attack on Dr. Ciancimino was purely targeting for government purposes.

Dr. Ciancimino was arrested on September 23, 2021.  On January 24, 2022, he waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty via videoconference before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams to one count of distribution of a controlled substance without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the scope of professional practice and surrendered his medical license. He also agreed to forfeit $175,773.45—one of the reasons for the government attacks on doctors. The other is job security.

Using USC 21 §802(56)(c) is standard procedure against targeted doctors, even though this was the phrase put into the Controlled Substance Act for the purpose of exempting doctors treating patients. But as a result of the government agencies violating human rights because they can without retribution, they started the propaganda against controlled substances causing addiction, turned this statute around to use against doctors, and started raking in the money and getting promotions.

The government agents and agencies reaping benefits from this attack were USA Leonard C Boyle, USA Vanessa Roberts Avery, AUSA Heather L. Cherry, the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and HHS-OIG’s Office of Investigations, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, the Middlebury, Bristol, East Windsor, Glastonbury, Hamden, Manchester, New Britain, Newington, Watertown and West Haven Police Departments. When doctors are attacked and their assets forfeited, those assets are shared among the government agencies that supposedly “helped” in the investigation.

On June 22, 2022, David Ciancimino, MD was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams to 46 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and also ordered Ciancimino to pay a $25,000 fine in addition to the forfeited $175,773.45 seized at the time of his arrest.

So now, you might ask why, if he is innocent, did he take a guilty plea.  Well, since the government confiscates all of your money and freezes all of your assets, unless you have protected yourself and your finances, you have nothing with which to hire a lawyer. So you are assigned a public defender whose job is to get you to take a plea. And the unlawful techniques of the DOJ to force witness perjury and other crimes gives them a 97% conviction rate.  Then add to that the propaganda that the government has fed to the jury pool over the last 20 years, and few doctors have a chance in court.  Innocent until proven guilty is no longer the premise of our judicial system. Judicial abuse is now the rule, not the exception. And that is one thing Doctorsofcourage, in conjunction with America United International (AUI) is working to change.