BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Raleigh County physician has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges connected to unlawful prescription practices at a multi-state pain management clinic.
Sanjay Mehta, D.O., 57, of Shady Spring, admitted in federal court on Thursday, July 10, 2025, to three counts of aiding and abetting a controlled substance by fraud.
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Prosecutors said Mehta prescribed opioids to three patients at the HOPE Clinic without a legitimate medical purpose.
Two of those patients died of opioid intoxication shortly after receiving the prescriptions.
According to court documents, Mehta worked at the HOPE Clinic’s Beckley location from November 2012 through July 2013 and at the Beaver location from August 2013 through May 2015.
Despite having little to no experience treating chronic pain or prescribing Schedule II narcotics, Mehta was recruited to the clinic and issued prescriptions for drugs including oxycodone, methadone, and Roxicodone.
Mehta’s sentencing is set for October 31, 2025. He faces up to four years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $750,000 fine.
As part of the plea agreement, Mehta will surrender his DEA registration and has agreed not to seek re-registration to dispense controlled substances.
Mehta was first indicted in 2018 along with several others affiliated with HOPE Clinic and its management group, Patients, Physicians and Pharmacists Fighting Diversion (PPPFD).
Federal prosecutors allege that from 2010 to 2015, the defendants conspired to distribute opioids and other controlled substances outside the bounds of professional medical practice.
While Mehta and six other doctors accepted plea deals, two co-defendants—Mark T. Radcliffe, 68, of Shady Spring, and Michael T. Moran, M.D., 60, of Covington, Virginia—are scheduled for trial on October 6, 2025.
“It is readily evident that the Southern District of West Virginia has been severely impacted by the opioid crisis. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to bringing to justice those whose criminal conduct contributes to this crisis and worsens its most tragic consequences,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston.
Johnston credited multiple law enforcement agencies for their work in the case, including HHS-OIG, IRS-CI, FDA-OCI, FBI, DEA, West Virginia State Police, MDENT, Beckley Police Department, Kentucky State Police, Harrison County Sheriff’s Department (KY), and the AHIDTA Task Force.
“Medical professionals who cause the distribution of controlled substances not for legitimate medical purposes and not within the usual course of professional medical practice can cause significant harm to the those who purchase them,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ronald Dawkins of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations.
“This case demonstrates that we will hold accountable individuals who would compromise patient safety for personal gain by causing the unlawful distribution of Schedule II prescription medications.”
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Brian D. Parsons as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.
