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ST. JOSEPH, MI — A St. Joseph County foot doctor will lose his medical license after pleading Thursday to charges of diverting opioids and insurance fraud.
Dr. Craig Sherwood, a St. Joseph podiatrist, pleaded no contest on Thursday, Oct. 26, to 10 felony counts, according to the Berrien County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Sherwood pleaded to five counts of diverting opioids (delivery of Schedule 2 controlled substances) and five counts of health care fraud.
According to a press release from the office of Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic, an investigation by the Southwest Enforcement Team found that between 2014 and 2016 Sherwood wrote prescriptions in the name of family members who were not his patients and to patients who were encouraged to bring unused portions of filled prescriptions back to Sherwood.
Many of the prescriptions were paid by private insurance, the prosecutor’s office alleged.
There was no evidence that Sherwood was selling opioids or that anyone in his charge suffered from an opioid overdose.
Opioids are a class of drugs that can be highly addictive. They include the illegal drug heroin as well as prescription pain killers such as codeine, OxyContin and Vicodin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
As part of a plea agreement, the prosecutor’s office has agreed not to issue additional counts against Sherwood of the same charges, nor pursue other medical related offenses. It also has agreed that the 65-year-old St. Joseph man’s sentence will not include incarceration.
He would otherwise face up to 20 years in prison on any of the drug diverting charges and up to four years on any of the insurance fraud charges.
According to the press release, Sherwood has started the process of relinquishing his DEA license. That license, issued by the Drug Enforcement Agency, allows health practitioners to prescribe controlled substances. His Michigan medical license and medical practice are to be terminated as of Dec. 31, 2017.