WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – After an eight-day trial, Dr.
Krishan Kumar Aggarwal, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Cherian John,
of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, were found not guilty of drug charges, United
States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
“The jury returned not guilty verdicts against Dr. Aggarwal
and Dr. John. Notwithstanding the
verdict, we remain steadfast in our intention to prosecute matters which we
believe, based upon the evidence, support prosecution. Jury trials are an adversarial process and do
not provide guaranteed results. Though
we disagree with the jury in this case, the jury has spoken and that is part of
the process, which we have the utmost respect for. Our team worked very hard and this verdict
will not deter our efforts on the opioid front,” said Powell.
A federal jury deliberated for nearly eight hours before
finding Aggarwal, age 75, and John, age 66, not guilty of one count of
“Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances Outside the Bounds of
Professional Medical Practice,” and were also indicted on separate counts of
“Aiding and Abetting Health Care Fraud,” and “Aiding and Abetting the
Distribution of Controlled Substances Outside the Bounds of Professional
Medical Practice.” Aggarwal and John
were accused of contracting with Redirections Treatment Advocates, LLC, in
Weirton, West Virginia, and writing illegitimate prescriptions for suboxone,
some of which were paid for by Medicaid and Medicare.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah E. Wagner and Andrew R. Cogar
prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Inspector General
at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. presided.
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