Former Coal Center doctor pleads guilty to prescribing opioids for sex
A former doctor from Coal Center pleaded guilty in federal court to writing prescriptions for opioids in exchange for sexual favors from a patient.
Emilio Ramon Navarro, 60, operated private family practices in Perryopolis, Fayette County, and Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County. In 2018, he wrote nine prescriptions to one patient totaling 300 oxycodone pills and 240 dosage units of oxymorphone “for no legitimate medical purpose,” prosecutors said.
“Navarro then submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid for reimbursement for the unlawfully prescribed prescriptions thereby defrauding Medicaid,” Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman said in a release.
Navarro pleaded guilty to unlawfully prescribing oxycodone and health care fraud, and accepted responsibility for eight additional counts of illegally prescribing addictive narcotics.
His practices were closed in September 2019, after he was arrested on allegations he exchanged drugs for sex with one patient.
In 2020, federal authorities filed a second indictment against Navarro, charging a second patient came forward to make similar allegations. Navarro was required to permanently surrender his medical license as part of his bond conditions in the case.
He will be sentenced on March 1 and could face up to 30 years in prison, a $1.25 million fine or both.