Virginia dentist gets prison time for opioid scheme

Gary Hartman, DDS, of Virginia Beach, Va., received an eight and a half year prison sentence Oct. 2 for prescribing opioids for his personal use, local ABC affiliate WVEC reported. 

Dr. Hartman, a licensed dentist in Virginia since 2002, was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute prescription opioids and muscle relaxants for nonmedical reasons. His scheme involved 766 prescriptions and almost 40,000 oxycodone pills, according to U.S. attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger.

Dr. Hartman, 48, prescribed opioids for his personal use and the use of his co-conspirators between 2014 and 2018. He would prescribe oxycodone to co-conspirators, who would then fill the prescriptions and bring back most of the pills for Dr. Hartman.

Court documents say co-conspirators included close friends, another dentist and impoverished individuals. Dr. Hartman also promised free dental work for those who filled prescriptions he wrote and brought the pills back to him. 

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