Doctor faces life sentence for over-prescribing painkillers

A former California physician was sentenced Friday to 30 years to life in a landmark Los Angeles drug prosecution.

A jury on October 30 found Tseng guilty of the second degree murders of 29-year-old Vu Nguyen, of Lake Forest, 25-year-old Steven Ogle, of Palm Desert, and 21-year-old Joseph Rovero III, of San Ramon.

She wrote that she realized she was in denial over her prescribing practices and their effects and that she knows she was not properly trained in addiction medicine or pain management and for writing pain management prescriptions.

“It seems to be an attempt to put the blame on someone else”, LA Superior Court Judge George Lomeli chastised the 46-year-old during her sentencing, per the Los Angeles Times. Prosecutors said Tseng had been notified that nine of her patients, mostly young men in their 20s and 30s, had died.

Prosecutors say she prescribed medication to people who didn’t need it and ignored signs they were overdosing.

Tseng was charged with just three killings because other factors were involved in some of those deaths, such as drugs prescribed by other doctors and a possible suicide.

While in court Friday, she apologized for her actions.

She said in court: “I can not imagine what you have gone through”.

“It is tragic for anyone to suffer such great loss, but most especially tragic for those parents who lost their children or siblings who lost a brother”. Every time one of her patients died of a drug overdose, Tseng received a call from the coroner’s office advising her of the cause of death and law enforcement constantly warned the doctor her patients were dying but she kept on prescribing.

The case comes amid a prescription drug abuse epidemic in the United States that has seen White House candidates rail against so-called pill mills that dole out medications without restraint.

“Instead of welcoming him back from school and enjoying our usual holiday time together, we were struggling through our shock and grief to write an obituary and pick out a casket, clothes and grave site for Joey to be buried in the day after Christmas”, Rovero wrote.

Dr Hsiu Ying “Lisa” Tseng cries during her arraignment, flanked by attornies, Edward Welbourn, left, and Alan Stokke, Friday, March 16, 2012 in Los Angeles. The judge agreed to make the recommendation.

Defense lawyer Tracy Green said patients testified they were legitimately in pain and later became dependent on the drugs, hiding their addictions by seeing other doctors and picking up prescriptions from different pharmacies.

Tseng also noted in the letter that she offered to enter a plea before trial in exchange for a 20-year term that would give her hope in getting out of prison to see her two children – who are 8 and 11 – and other family members, but that no such deal was worked out.

Tseng’s lawyer said her client naively trusted her patients. After the sentencing she said Tseng’s apology was late but better than nothing.

Peter Osinoff, who represented Tseng before the medical board, said Tseng will not practice medicine again and she doesn’t represent a danger to society.

Deputy District Attorney John Niedermann told jurors during Tseng’s trial that the doctor prescribed “crazy, outrageous amounts of medication” to patients who didn’t need the pills.

April Rovero said she was satisfied with the sentence.

Ogle’s mother, Desiree Ogle-Spillman, told reporters that she felt Tseng didn’t take responsibility for her actions.