BUFFALO, N.Y. — A former doctor who worked at Erie County Medical Center and South Buffalo Mercy Hospital is going to spend five years in prison for stealing painkillers and giving fraudulent prescriptions to friends, co-workers and drug dealers.
The U.S. Attorney's Office of Western New York says 40-year-old James Keefe gave out 180 of those scripts between 2014 and 2018 for more than 10,000 pills.
The sentence he received Friday includes five years of probation and six months of house arrest after he gets out.
"This case highlights the powerful grip of addiction,” U.S. Attorney James Kennedy said in a statement.
"The defendant was a medical professional and was well aware of the dangers of the illegal use of prescription medications, yet he created a web of accomplices which allowed him to obtain controlled substances and continue to fuel his addiction."