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A former anesthesiologist at Buffalo General Medical Center pleaded guilty Wednesday to a reduced charge after being caught altering patients’ prescriptions to illegally obtain the narcotic fentanyl for his personal use.
John R. LoFaso, 35, of Williamsville, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a violation, after successfully completing a court-supervised diversion program for drug offenders.
LoFaso was caught by the hospital’s pharmacy manager after altering a patient’s medical chart to warrant prescribing the powerful opioid painkiller on at least six occasions, prosecutors said.
LoFaso was placed in the Buffalo Opioid Intervention Program, a special drug court that requires participants to stay clean and complete a substance abuse counseling program. Defendants who complete the yearlong regimen have their record largely wiped clean and avoid serving prison time.
After pleading guilty to the violation, LoFaso was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. As part of the sentence, Buffalo City Court Judge Shannon M. Heneghan ordered LoFaso to continue his drug counseling.