MUSKOGEE – Nelson Onaro, 61, of McAlester, was sentenced to one year of probation for unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances, according to The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Onaro also surrendered his Oklahoma medical license and his DEA registration which formerly enabled him to dispense controlled substances.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
On Feb. 7, Onaro pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Distribution of a Controlled Substance.
At the plea hearing, Onaro admitted to prescribing Schedule II controlled substances to patients in amounts and for durations beyond the scope of legitimate medical practice.
Onaro also admitted to writing prescriptions for patients in dangerous combinations and dosages, thus creating a heightened risk of overdose and death, and to writing a prescription for a straw buyer in order to conceal his own drug use.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Department of Justice Trial Attorneys Daniel Griffin and Christopher Jason and Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan Conway and Ryan Bondura represented the United States.