DA – NBC New York

A Long Island doctor is facing murder charges after five patients reportedly died between 2016 and 2018 due to prescriptions he wrote.

George Blatti, 75, was charged on Thursday on five counts of second-degree murder and 11 counts of reckless danger in the first degree. Blatti was arrested and is expected to return to court on March 30.

If convicted on the maximum charge, the defendant faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. The indictment will be consolidated with a 2019 indictment based on the same conduct, replacing the more serious indictments.

The information from Blatti’s lawyer was not immediately known.

Officials believe this is the first time that a doctor has been charged in New York with second-degree murder under the theory of depraved indifference to human life.

The charges stem from an investigation into several fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses in August 2018, according to prosecutor Madeline Singas, who revealed that several individuals had an excessive number of opioid prescriptions prescribed by Blatti.

The alleged victims – three men and two women, all between the ages of 30 and 60 – received 45,000 pills over a four-year period, although prosecutors said they each show clear signs of addiction. In one case, it was said that Blatti prescribed the victim nine times the maximum recommended daily dose of opioids. The relatives of two of the victims made no comments after pleading guilty on Thursday.

Blatti, a general practitioner originally licensed to practice medicine in 1976, had no specialized training or accreditation in pain management, according to prosecutors. For a while, Blatti maintained a makeshift office in a Franklin Square store that was once a Radio Shack, with the now-defunct electronics network sign and merchandise shelves on the walls.

It was at this office that Blatti reportedly met clients until 2019, according to the original charge. After losing access to that space, he reportedly saw patients in his car, prescribing drugs without an examination at the Rockville Center hotel car parks – where he lived – and at a nearby Dunkin ‘Donuts, prosecutors say.

According to the prosecution, opioid-addicted patients came to Blatti with his orders for prescription drugs and he allegedly prescribed them without reviewing his medical history or exam. He collected insurance and accepted money.

In addition, prosecutors say that in some cases he allegedly prescribed opioid painkillers at the request of patients to others he had never met or spoken to.

Blatti reportedly used paper prescriptions under an exemption issued by the New York State Health Commissioner, allowing him to avoid using the state’s secure electronic prescription system. This system is generally mandatory and allows for greater supervision.

It was the second time in three years that Blatti had been handcuffed. He was arrested on April 18, 2019 by members of the NCPD Asset Intelligence and Asset Intelligence Unit and the DEA’s Long Island District Tactical Fun Squad and subsequently charged with 54 charges in October 2019. These charges include 22 criminal charges sale of prescription prescription, six counts of counterfeiting in the second degree, two counts of reckless dangerousness in the first degree, 22 counts of criminal misuse of prescription drugs and prescriptions in the fourth degree and two charges of reckless threat in the second degree.

“This doctor’s prescription was as lethal as any murder weapon,” said prosecutor Madeline Singas. “We claim that Dr. Blatti demonstrated depraved indifference to human life, total disregard for the law, his ethical obligations and the appeals of his patients and family members when prescribing massive amounts of dangerous drugs to victims at the height of their addiction, ended up killing five patients who they entrusted him with their care. “

Singas continued, saying: “As we continue to fight the opioid abuse epidemic that has devastated our communities, this accusation sends a strong message to any doctor who seeks to profit from the addiction of vulnerable patients: we will hold him to the maximum law allows. ”

Artist Domenic Esposito is known for his giant sculptures, especially for his huge scoops of opioids that he places in front of the pharmaceutical companies he blames for the opioid crisis. One of these sculptures is now arriving at a new recovery center in Chelsea – not as a sign of protest, but to draw attention to the crisis and its victims. Jamie …

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder and DEA Special Agent Ray Donovan shared similar feelings.

“These charges should send a clear message to all doctors that they will be directly responsible for their actions, as they profit from individuals who are suffering from addiction,” said Ryder.

Meanwhile, Donovan called Blatti’s alleged actions “unscrupulous”.

“This is a tragic story of lives lost at the hands of someone in charge of saving lives,” he said.