Dentist Christopher Kania pled guilty March 12, 2020, to obtaining oxycodone by fraud — writing a prescription in his dental hygienist's name to obtain opioids for his own use; maximum 4-year sentence, sentencing scheduled May 2020.

Christopher Kania, D.D.S. — Self-Diversion of Oxycodone Using Employee Prescription (2017–2020)

Outcome: Christopher Kania, 40, a dentist from Portage, Wisconsin, pled guilty on March 12, 2020, to obtaining oxycodone by use of misrepresentation, fraud, and deception, for writing a prescription in his dental hygienist's name and having her fill it and return the pills to him for his own use.

Christopher Kania was a licensed dentist working in Mauston, Wisconsin. On August 22, 2017, while working at his dental practice, Kania wrote a prescription for oxycodone to his dental hygienist and asked her to fill the prescription and return the pills to him for his own personal use. His dental hygienist, who subsequently cooperated with the DEA's investigation, complied with Kania's request, filled the prescription at a pharmacy, and provided all the oxycodone to Kania.

The scheme exploited Kania's position of authority over the hygienist and his access to prescription pads as a licensed dental practitioner. By writing the prescription in the hygienist's name, Kania attempted to obscure the diversion from monitoring systems that track prescriptions by prescriber and patient.

Kania pled guilty to a charge carrying a maximum penalty of four years in federal prison. Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson scheduled Kania's sentencing for May 26, 2020. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin and investigated by the DEA's Diversion Control Division.

Primary Source: DEA Press Release — Wisconsin Dentist Pleads Guilty to Oxycodone Diversion Charge (Mar. 16, 2020)