Martin Escobar, 58, a former Mahoning County physician, was sentenced recently to 25 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after he previously pleaded guilty to 54 counts of illegally prescribing controlled substances — including two counts of distributing controlled substances that caused the deaths of two patients and one count of distributing a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21 — and 31 counts of health care fraud.
“Mr. Escobar repeatedly distributed dangerous and highly addictive controlled substances to his patients and ignored signs of addiction and other red flags that his actions were causing harm to those who entrusted him with their care, and falsifying justifications for issuing prescriptions he knew should never have been written,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler. “Due to his behavior, two patients died from overdosing on the drugs he illegally prescribed to them. Our community is safer with Mr. Escobar now behind bars.”