What to Know
- A 74-year-old doctor on Long Island has been indicted on charges he sold prescriptions for Oxycodone, methadone and other opioids
- George Blatti pleaded not guilty Wednesday to drug charges, including reckless endangerment and forgery
- Blatti is accused of selling the drugs out of an old RadioShack he was using as an office; he also sold from his car and out of parking lots
A 74-year-old doctor on Long Island has been indicted on charges he sold prescriptions for Oxycodone, methadone and other opioids.
George Blatti, of Rockville Centre, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to drug charges, including reckless endangerment and forgery. The Nassau County judge released him on $50,000 bail.
Over a five-year span, prosecutors say Blatti sold nearly two million opioid and amphetamine prescriptions for hundreds of dollars each from multiple locations, including an old RadioShack storefront in Franklin Square where he set up his “office.” He also sold the opioids from parking lots outside a Dunkin' Donuts and a hotel, and even inside his car.
While some who worked right next door to Blatti’s office were stunned, another woman said the doctor’s operation seemed suspicious — telling NBC New York she didn’t see any exam rooms and it didn’t appear to be set up like a medical office.
Prosecutors allege it never operated like typical medical office, with undercover photos showing Blatti simply writing opioid prescriptions for anyone who walked in.
“It's the conduct of a drug dealer in a lab coat, or in this case a drug dealer in an empty Radio Shack,” the Nassau County district attorney said.
Local
Blatti worked as a family doctor for over 40 years with some patients praising him in online reviews and comments. But court documents indicate he filed for bankruptcy before 2000.
The doctor had no comment after the hearing, and his lawyer Jeffrey Gorder said he still didn’t “know enough about the case” to comment.
Newsday reports Blatti surrendered his license and face up to 59 years in prison if convicted.
