A former cardiologist in Elko has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for illegally prescribing opioids to patients.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says Dr. Devendra Patel will also spend three years on supervised release and pay a $500,000 fine.

Patel pleaded guilty to the charges in November.

ORIGINAL STORY: 

The Justice Department says an Elko doctor faces 39-charges of unlawful distribution of prescription opioids and Medicare and Medicaid fraud after being arrested on Tuesday. 

Dr. Devendra I. Patel is charged with 36-counts of distribution of controlled substances such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, and three-counts of health care fraud. 

The 58-year-old is a cardiologist at his medical practice Northeastern Nevada Cardiology. 

The statutory maximum penalty for distribution of a controlled substance is 10 years in prison and the maximum penalty for health care fraud is 10 years in prison. 

He is scheduled to appear in federal court on Wednesday in Reno.

According to the 39-count indictment that was unsealed Tuesday, it is alleged that, from May 2014 to September 2017, Patel routinely prescribed fentanyl, hydrocodone, and oxycodone for his patients without a legitimate medical purpose and that he fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for medical tests that he did not perform. The indictment alleges that Patel performed EKGs on his patients, so he could then order nuclear stress tests which he did not administer. He allegedly used a poorly calibrated machine and presented his patients with fraudulent X-Rays, in order to deceive his patients into thinking they had coronary issues that needed to be treated by him.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Secret Service, Elko Combined Narcotics Unit, Nevada Department of Public Safety, and the Elko County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kilby Macfadden and Sue Fahami are prosecuting the case.

(The Department of Justice contributed to this report.)