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Updated: 8:48 AM Aug 28, 2009
Moorefield Doctor Charged for Deadly Overdose
Elkins, W.Va. A Moorefield, West Virginia physician was arrested Wednesday on charges of illegally prescribing medications that caused a deadly overdose in February.
Posted: 3:01 PM Aug 27, 2009 |
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211 Comments 
A Moorefield, West Virginia physician was arrested Wednesday on charges of illegally prescribing medications that caused a deadly overdose in February.
U.S. Attorney Sharon L. Potter announced that Dr. Rajan Bakhshish Masih was arrested on charges that he allegedly distributed and dispensed 120 tablets of Hydromorphone and 50 doses of Diazepam to an individual February 20, resulting in the death of that individual from the use of the substances.
The criminal complaint further alleges that Masih did not distribute the substances for legitimate medical purposes in the usual course of his professional medical practices.
He had an initial appearance Wednesday before Magistrate Judge John S. Kaull and is currently in federal custody. A preliminary hearing and detention hearing have been scheduled for September 1 in Elkins.
The charge in the criminal complaint carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of $1,000,000.
The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hagerstown, Maryland Task Force; the West Virginia State Police; the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; the West Virginia Insurance Commission; the Grant County Sheriff’s Department; and the City of Moorefield Police Department.
It should be noted that the charges contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Masih's lawyer, Steve Jory of Elkins, declined comment Thursday.
Latest Comments
raj masih should be locked up for the rest of his life he has ruined a lot of this community....people who defend him probably take narcotics prescribed from him, look in the petersburg parking lot and you can see the effect he has done to the area, people with nothing wrong with them would go wait five hours at his office and walk out with a bottle of percocet, raj knew exactly what he was doing and he should be bankrupt and locked up for the deaths he knew would eventually happen, 4.5 million narcotic pills prescribed and filled in petersburg and moorefield is absolutely insane the average is 75,000, facts dont lie so wake up people and quit defending the doctor you get your drugs from because you hope one day to be able to get them again
I just want to say that in 2005 my fiance' almost died had we not gotten him to the hospital and the only way that we took him basically was because Raj was on duty at the hospital. He told us that had we not gotten my fiance' to the hospital when we did my fiance' would not have woke up the next morning. Raj sent him to WVU because they did not have the equipment needed to take care of my fiance' in Petersburg. Thank you Raj for saving my fiance'. You are wonderful. For the addicts if you don't tell a doctor that you are an addict how are they to know? You can't blame a doctor for prescribing a pill because if there is something wrong for cause for them then that is on you. I think that Raj was trying to help he didn't put the pills in that persons mouth to take like candy and to get high. Don't give up Raj you are a wonderful doctor keep going
I think the people overdosing on the pills that put their hands up to their mouths and take the pills are the ones that should be locked up. The doctor did not put the pills in their mouths. Lock up the drug addicts.
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