A Wyoming County doctor has been sentenced to state prison for prescribing controlled substances which placed his patients in danger.
Dr. Raphael Benjamin Kon, 62, of Noxen, was sentenced to 14 to 48 months in prison. In August, he previously pleaded guilty to unlawful administration, dispensing, delivery, gift, or prescription of a schedule II controlled substance.
An investigation revealed that Kon failed to assess the enhanced risk of abuse, diversion or overdose with any medical benefit in the continuous course of prescribing controlled substances to his patients. Kon’s prescribing of controlled substances was also not supported by documentation in his patient medical files, and he did so without monitoring how patients were responding to their medications.
“Patients trust their doctors to protect their health and safety, and this defendant broke that trust by recklessly prescribing potent medications,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This type of behavior by a medical professional contributes to an addiction epidemic that already impacts every Pennsylvania community.”
