A Modesto physician, Sawtantra Kumar Chopra, 71, was arrested and charged with prescribing opioids to patients outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
On April 19, 2018, a federal grand jury in Fresno brought a 22-count indictment against Chopra. He was arrested at his home in Modesto.
According to the indictment, between March 2017 and March 2018, on 22 occasions Chopra prescribed highly addictive, commonly abused prescription drugs, including hydrocodone, alprazolam (Xanax), and Promethazine with codeine syrup – outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
These controlled substances affect the central nervous system and may only be prescribed when medically required.
If convicted, Chopra faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This is Dr. Chopra’s second run-in with the law.
In 2002, he was charged with violating federal kickback law in the United States District Court, for the Eastern District of California. Prosecutors claimed he knowingly solicited and received kickbacks for referring some of his patients to Family Medical Home. He was paid $2,500 per month plus a percentage of Family Home profits. He also received basketball tickets to the Sacramento Kings games. On May 28, 2002 he plead guilty to the one count filed against him.
Disciplinary charges were filed against him by the California Medical Board on July 12, 2002 as a result of his conviction. He entered into a Stipulated Settlement and Disciplinary Order in May 2003.
This new case is the product of an investigation by the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse Drug Diversion Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincenza Rabenn is prosecuting the case.