A disgraced Manhattan doctor who ran a massive oxycodone pill mill from his Midtown practice was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison Wednesday for exchanging prescriptions for cash, sex and drugs.
Howard Adelglass, 67, was convicted of supplying some 1.3 million oxycodone pills to addicts and drug dealers from his practice near Central Park after a Manhattan federal court trial in November.
“Adelglass ran his Columbus Circle Clinic as a drug dealer, rather than a doctor. He maintained a cash-only business, receiving a fee for every visit,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing submission in the case.
Starting in 2017, Adelglass staffed the office with young women, some of whom got addicted to the opioid pain medication after he offered prescriptions.
He also used cocaine at the office, groped one of his staffers and propositioned her for sex, prosecutors charged.
In 2018, the corrupt doctor hired his primary patient source, Marcello Sansone, as his office manager, who in turn raked in cash in that role.
Both men solicited and engaged in sex acts with patients in exchange for oxycodone prescriptions, federal prosecutors said.
Adelglass raked in some $2 million in profits over three years and blew the cash on “drugs, luxuries, and vacations” until his arrest in 2020, prosecutors wrote.
“By monetizing his prescription pad and distributing mammoth quantities of oxycodone pills for no legitimate medical purpose, Adelglass practiced as a drug dealer, not a doctor,” US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement after the sentence.
“Adelglass did not simply betray his medical oath; he destroyed lives and families and helped fuel the opioid epidemic gripping the nation,” he added.
Ben Feuerherd
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