COVINGTON, Ky. — Former Kenton County Coroner David Suetholz was sentenced on Thursday to one year and a day in federal prison for illegally dispensing opioids and other drugs through his private practice.
Last year, a federal jury in Covington found Suetholz guilty on 12 counts involving three patients.
Two of those patients — with long addiction histories and failed drug tests — died from drug overdoses, according to federal prosecutors.
Suetholz, 74, defended his treatment decisions and said he will appeal the verdict and sentence.
"I care about my patients and everyone in the community that was here knows that," Suetholz said. "I did not make any mistakes."
Suetholz "ignored" patients' failed drug tests, didn't do adequate screening for addiction history, and still prescribed medicine that put vulnerable patients at greater risk, according to a sentencing memorandum written by Maryam Adeloya, a prosecutor with the Fraud Section of the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division in Washington.
"Suetholz abused his trust as a licensed doctor," Adeloya wrote.
But Suetholz insisted evidence used against him wasn't true.
"It was guilt by innuendo," Suetholz said.
The elected coroner for 30 years and a family physician for five decades, Suetholz had his medical license revoked earlier this year.
Suetholz had ignored previous warnings and was sanctioned by the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure a decade ago for —in part — prescribing opioids without justification to a patient with a history of addiction, according to Adeloya's sentencing memo.
On Thursday, the courtroom was packed with Suetholz's supporters.
U.S. District Judge David Bunning commented several times during the hearing about the support for Suetholz.
That support included more than 30 letters written to Bunning asking him to give Suetholz a lenient sentence.
The judge also mentioned that he had seen a petition signed by more than 500 people praising the longtime family physician's contributions to the community.
"The support you're getting Dr. Suetholz is very strong," Bunning said. "Your case is one of the more difficult ones I've had."
Bunning's sentence was much less than the 63-month sentence the prosecution requested for Suetholz.
After the hearing, Suetholz said he was confident he would win on appeal.
"I had great community support, the support and love of my family," Suetholz said. "It's going to be OK."
