Mechanicsville doctor pleads guilty to prescription writing scam
Published: July 14, 2009
BOSTON — A Virginia doctor has pleaded guilty to federal charges of writing tens of thousands of prescriptions for muscle relaxants and other drugs over the Internet without meeting or examining the patients.
Federal prosecutors say Dr. Torino Jennings of Mechanicsville, Va., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston on Monday to seven counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce and four counts of tax evasion.
Prosecutors said between 2004 and 2007, Jennings issued from 50,000 to 100,000 prescriptions based on forms completed for online pharmacies. Jennings was paid from $5 to $7 per prescription, but never reported the income to the Internal Revenue Service.
Jennings faces a maximum of five years in prison at sentencing scheduled for November.
The indictment was issued out of Boston because electronic tax filings, the type made by Jennings, are handled in Andover, Mass.
According to the indictment, Jennings underreported his income by hundreds of thousands of dollars. The largest discrepancy occurred in 2005, when he underreported his income by $96,412, authorities allege.
He was reprimanded by the Virginia Board of Medicine and paid a $10,000 fine for prescription-related violations similar to those in which he was indicted on in Boston, state records show.
Jennings, who had practiced as a staff physician at Retreat Doctors’ Hospital, was cited in October 2007 for prescribing various Schedule VI controlled substances—including Cialis, Levitra, Ultram and Viagra—to clients on the Internet outside a “bona-fide practitioner-patient relationship” as required by law, according to Virginia Board of Medicine documents.
Jennings is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and completed his medical training at the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. He began practicing medicine in 2003 in Richmond.
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Reader Reactions
Did the online forms ask the same questions that a doctor would ask in person? How many perscriptions did Jennings refuse to fill based on the requests. Jennings wrote at least 50,000 prescriptions this way and yet there is no report of anyone being harmed. No reports of Jennings being sued for malpractice. I find that amazing.
Okay, maybe one was a painkiller but are the vigilantes on this forum seriously maintaining that Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are addictive and lead to deaths among abusers? Haven’t you got anything better to worry about?
Meanwhile, non-violent criminals should be forced to pay restitution and penalties. Dock this guy’s pay for the next 50 years. Our prisons are overflowing and should be reserved for violent criminals—we have more than enough of those.
Anyone who buys drugs over the Internet does so at their own risk. What is sad about this is that here is a man who could have been an excellent role model for kids—both his own and other people’s—and instead broke the law just to make some extra money.
Mr. B..
I’m not advocating life in prison either..but I think it is fair to compare the distribution of controlled substances by class of drug.. Just because he is a doctor it shouldn’t mean he gets to get less of a punishment.
As to the “no one died” logic.. by that reasoning.. I don’t think we should give drunk driving tickets unless the person causes injury/damage/death.. I mean, if they don’t hurt anything while drinking and driving it should be ok right?
Big B I hadn’t read you’re previous post about not caring about drug addicts and how no one had addressed the Viagra or ED prescriptions. Wow, you really are MAD at someone and I’m guessing its Jennings. Did he supply you with Viagra? And no not every one has a drug addict in their family so I’m sorry that you’ve had to experience that and that you don’t care because drug addicts do have families that care and are hurt just like Jennings family and friends are now hurting over what he did. I’m going to pray for you so that you’re not so MAD at the world for taking away your doctor and true friend. Maybe if you need Viagra you can go back on the internet, I’m sure some Canadian phamacutical company can help you out.
Big B, how do you know if anyone died? Are you the cyber police? Do you run around the world and follow up for the doctor to check in on all the patients he writes the scripts for to make sure they are alive and see how they are doing? This doctor is charged because he prescribed “tens of thousands of prescriptions for muscle relaxants and other drugs over the Internet without meeting or examining the patients”. Who knows who is dead or not? Get off the internet and go take another pill. You need something to help you. You’re a hazard to your own health.
Keep you nasty opinions and thoughts to yourself. I’m not making excuses; I don’t wish jail upon anyone other then Killers and Rapists. And “NO” he is not a murderer because no one died. I’m sick of you people speaking hypothetically NO ONE DIED. Its always a “what if” in every group the truth remains the same NO ONE DIED
BIG B whose the one calling names and just in case you’re not aware using caps is like SCREAMING so I don’t know who are SCREAMING at because this is an open forum for all to state their opinions and views and if you don’t like what the posters have to say then don’t read it and tune it out. “you people” is an insult to those of us regulars who post on here and yes we don’t all agree on everything but we do show respect and move on. Mr. Jennings should be proud to have you in his corner as I’m sure he’ll need as many close friends as possible in the next five years and after. Instead of SCREAMING at us then be there for his family who are the true victims of his fraud.
I never said it was right. Of course it wasn’t right, BUT someone suggested LIFE IN PRISON and that comment was ridiculous!!! This man has a family. WHY would you people want him to be locked up for that long and away from his children and wife? If you want him punished ok, you want him punished, but everyone deserves the right to redeem themselves. Keep you nasty opinions and thoughts to yourself. I’m not making excuses; I don’t wish jail upon anyone other then Killers and Rapists. And “NO” he is not a murderer because no one died. I’m sick of you people speaking hypothetically NO ONE DIED. Its always a “what if” in every group the truth remains the same NO ONE DIED
Big B- Obviously he was your doctor and by your remarks a friend however he as an adult knew what he was doing and that it was wrong. He was my husband’s doctor and he always praised him for the way he treated him but that doesn’t negate what he was doing illegally on the internet. There is a double standard when it comes to “professionals” and “common folk” and sentencing guidelines, if he hadn’t been a doctor then he would be facing more than 5 years in jail. Many health professionals are either addicts themselves or “deal” prescription drugs on the side to make more money. I’m not saying all but a good % and unfortunately like in any profession you have these kind of individuals that are driven by greed.
Yes, everyone deserves a second chance but at what cost to the community as a whole? What if he had written a prescription online and that person died, whether from an allergic reaction or overdose? Would that be murder? You’re right, name calling doesn’t solve the problem but making excuses doesn’t either. He committed a crime and now he has to pay and if he learns or not from this is not up to us to decide.
Thank you, I really appreciate how you found an error. I’ll be sure to spell it correct next time. Too bad I dont care, but thanks anyway. Also, why should I feel sorry for the addicts, I could care less about someone who abuses drugs. If you choose to be a junky so be it, thats your choice. Im clean and so I could care less about someone with a drug habbit and I dont want anyone to say “well what if it was your family or a loved one addicted to the drugs” well guess what I do have drug addicts in my family and honestly I DON’T CARE. We all have drug addicts in our family. No one forced these people to use the drugs. They wanted it so they got it. PLUS everyone is picking apart the information that they choose to discuss. No one mentions the Viagra and the other ED drugs. In my opinion he should be rewarded for supplying ERECTIONS to the men that can’t do it for themselves, I dont see any of these wives complaining when there husbands pop these pills so they are able to satisfy their “old lady”.
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