The attack on Dr. Romano stems from the Appalachian Region Prescription Opioid strike force, created in October, 2018, during the Trump administration under the direction of AG Jeff Sessions and HHS secretary Alex M. Azar III. Three other doctors were charged with him for overprescribing opioids through “pill mill” clinics. They were:
- Georgre Daniel Griffin, MD, 75, of Cincinnati, who was charged with 20 counts of distribution of controlled substances. He was sentenced to 3 yr 3 mo, and is now released from prison.
- Troy Balgo, D.O., 58, of Saint Clairsville, was the elected county coroner of Belmont County. He was charged with one count of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, six counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substance and one count of conspiracy to commit unlawful distribution of controlled substances. His trial is set for trial in October, 2024
- Freeda Flynn, MD, 71 of Saint Clairsville, owned and operates a solo practice which focused on medical and opioid addiction treatment programs. She was charged with eight counts of distribution of controlled substances for her alleged participation in the unlawful prescription of controlled substances outside of the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. She was also charged with one count of health care fraud for the submission of claims for services which were medically unnecessary and/or performed below medically-accepted standards. She was convicted in Jan, 2023 but was granted a new trial. On July 13, 2023, she pleaded guilty to 1 count of misbranding and received a sentence of 1 year probation.
Dr. Romano was convicted by jury trial on August 15, 2022 on 24 counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, outside the usual course of professional practice, and not for a legitimate medical purpose. The propaganda used by the prosecution to convict him was the standard:
- Patients traveled long distances to his clinic for opioids and other controlled substances.
- He accepted only cash. [But $120 per monthly visit is really reasonable.]
- Prescriptions exceeded recommended dosages and were in dangerous combinations. [Obviously these were legacy patients abandoned by their local physicians who had been on these medications for a while.]
- Listing the number of doses prescribed from 2015 to 2019. [But 111,000 doses for 9 patients for 4 years is only 8 doses per day—reasonable or even low for multiple prescriptions. He prescribed opioids, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxants, which is an old standard treatment for chronic pain.]
But then on Mar, 17, 2023, Dr. Romano’s motion for a new trial was granted by Judge Watson. The reason given was a contradictory testimony by the prosecution’s expert witness, Dr. Timothy Munsing. More on that in a separate post. But with the propaganda spewed by the government against opioids, it simply gave the lawyers more money. Dr. Romano was convicted again of the same 24 charges, with the same propaganda used as in the first trial.
From 2018 to 2022, ARPO has charged over 115 defendants, of which 60 have been convicted.
So, at the age of 74, Dr. Romano was sentenced to seven years in prison. We can get him released and all of us exonerated. It will only take people to learn the truth and end the propaganda against drugs. We have the knowledge that will accomplish that. Join us. Learn the truth and pass it on.
Linda Cheek is a teacher and disenfranchised medical doctor, turned activist, author, and speaker. A victim of prosecutorial misconduct and outright law-breaking of the government agencies DEA, DHHS, and DOJ, she hopes to be a part of exonerating all doctors illegally attacked through the Controlled Substance Act. She holds the key to success, as she can offset the government propaganda that drugs cause addiction with the truth: The REAL Cause of Drug Abuse.
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We must end the war on chronic pain patients. Already, medical monopolies want to take pain meds away altogether, leaving us with over-the-counter meds which have little pain relief. Tylenol overuse leaves you looking for a liver transplant, next aspirin, back to bleeding stomachs. Why is it in this country if some people do something, the rest of us are punished too. At the end of your life, do you want to be in horrible pain, given a tylenol, that was what my son got, with terminal liver cancer? I was hospitalized because of his death and near death myself, under pain medicated, given tylenol! What the hell? I vowed no more elective sugery. CDC is always wrong, they are worse then having no CDC. We must stand up, and say do not tell me how much pain I must suffer, keep US government out of it. Thank you ex-governor Cuomo. You have our blood still on your hands. The war in NY on drugs, was directed to chronic pain, and the dying. We were easier to find then those selling illegal drugs, but thanks for punishing all of us. Shame to the Medical Monopoiies, disgusting DEA.
The answer has been available now for 7 years. Are you just now finding it? Were you waylaid by the groups spouting rabbit chases like the CDC? From your comment, it would appear so. So now your choice, and everyone else reading this, is to keep chasing the rabbit or get behind what will end this catastophe. We have the key to success here on Doctorsofcourage. If you really want this to end, you will join us, take the ecourse, and teach others so we can stop the government propaganda. If you just sit back and complain, be aware that soon there will be no more opioids while at the same time the rate of addiction will have increased to 10% of the population. That will probably affect someone you love. So get on board the correcting train!
Dear Lord, the system is so messed up! There is no such thing as a fair trial!!! I will be praying for these senior doctors.