YOUNGSTOWN, OH (WKBN) – A doctor with an office in Youngstown is facing 78 charges related to prescribing drugs illegally and in excess, according to an indictment released Thursday.
Between 2012 and 2015, investigators looked into Dr. William Paloski and his practice, BEM Medical Arts Center at 3100 Market Street in Youngstown. The 73-year-old has been practicing medicine since 1974.
“The time period of the activity spans three years and our investigation was right around three and a half years,” said Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor Martin Desmond.
According to the 30-page indictment, Paloski faces the following charges:
- Trafficking in drugs
- Illegal processing of drug documents
- Unlawful sale/delivery of dangerous drug
- Money laundering
- Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity
Prosecutors said Paloski is charged with over-prescribing pain medications to patients, as well as prescribing to people who weren’t sick at all.
“The charges stem from his prescription practices, and our belief is that he did what the indictment says. He did it in a manner that was not in accordance with the law and it was for no necessary medical purposes,” Desmond said.
Investigators said Paloski mostly prescribed the painkillers tramadol and codeine.
Desmond said they conducted a search warrant in April of 2015 and did some other investigations after that.
Police conducted several undercover operations where they received drugs from Paloski, prosecutors said.
“Just in the last several months, we got all of our information back and got to the process of preparing the indictment.”
Prosecutors said they have been in touch with Paloski’s attorney. While he has not been arrested at this time, a summons has been issued for him to appear in court.
Paloski will be arraigned in common pleas court, but a date hasn’t been set yet.
