Following plea deal, former Wichita doctor sentenced to 10 years in prison for operating pill mill

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Following a call to a first life sentence and a plea deal with the federal government, a former Wichita doctor will spend about a decade in prison for operating a pill mill.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Steven R. Henson, 63, sentenced Friday to 120 months in federal prison, faces charges “for selling opioid prescriptions to customers without a legitimate medical need for painkillers powerful.”

Court documents indicate Henson pleaded guilty to:

• Two counts of conspiracy to dispense, distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
• Eight counts of distribution and aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute controlled substances
• Five counts of distribution of controlled substances, and
• Six counts of money laundering

A jury previously found Henson guilty on one count of making a false writing and attempting to obstruct a court order. The charges involved drug offenses, the Justice Department said.

In March 2019, Henson was sentenced to life in prison for illegal distribution of prescription drugs. He appealed that conviction and ultimately reached a plea deal capped by the 120-month prison sentence handed down Friday. The jury's conviction was related to the death of Nick McGovern, a man who prosecutors said died of an overdose of drugs prescribed by Henson.

“Between July 2014 and August 2015, Henson admits to examining patients with illegitimate pain at his Wichita clinic and writing them prescriptions for oxycodone, methadone and alprazolam in exchange for money,” the department said. of Justice. “He typically met with his co-conspirator clients outside of office hours, without staff present, and charged $300 for the visit. These co-conspirator clients told Henson what controlled substances they wanted, and he obliged them with a prescription without conducting examinations, obtaining a medical history, or determining whether the requested medication was necessary. Henson often prescribed the highest possible dosages and high pill counts.

Copyright 2024 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email [email protected]