The trial for former doctor Thomas Radecki finished out its second week in Clarion with the defendant taking the stand with examination and cross-examination.
Radecki
On the stand, Radecki was questioned in explicit detail about his ethical conduct and legal responsibilities of being a psychologist in practice for helping patients in need with drug addiction.
Radecki is on trial for 17 different charges including illegal distribution of Subutex, Ritalin and Adderall in 2011 and 2012.
Radecki, 70, of Clarion, was investigated in 2011 and 2012 by law enforcement agencies with regard to his prescribing, dispensing and billing practices. Radecki, a psychiatrist, at one time operated four office and/or Suboxone maintenance programs, including Seneca, Clarion, DuBois and Kane.
Those offices were closed down in June 2012 after the state attorney general’s office launched an investigation into Radecki’s practices. Suboxone is used to treat addiction to heroin and other opiates.
Investigators said Radecki referred to his Clarion residence as an “income-sharing commune” and invited female patients to live with him in exchange for drugs, money or a job at one of his clinics. A grand jury alleged that Radecki fathered a child in 2012 with one of the live-in women.
At his peak, Radecki is alleged to have had more than 1,000 patients in the four counties where he practiced.
Though Radecki made claims of having a total of 973 patients, only 13 of them were called into question throughout the trial.
Radecki’s defense attorney, John “Jack” Troese attempted to make it clear through questions Radecki was attempting to do his best to help the patients and make sure they received the correct dosage, medication and attention they needed so they would eventually be clean of all addictions.
Mark Serge, the senior deputy at the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office had a different view of how Radecki was treating his patients and questioned him on his methods of treatment for those patients.
Evidence was brought to the courtroom of surveillance footage captured in one of Radecki’s examination rooms.
The footage showed Radecki engaging the patient with sexual physical contact on three different occasions.
The medical records and history of the patient in the video were also brought to attention.
Serge had Radecki read several of his own reports from the patient’s visits to the office.
The medical records had notes written by Radecki explaining how some of the patients’ stories or excuses why they ran out of medication so quickly as being “suspicious.”
Radecki also recorded he observed the patient exchanging pills with another patient in the alley but through all of the suspicious activity, Serge pointed out that Radecki continued to administer pills to the patient.
Serge also questioned the defendant about the results of the urine tests administered to the patients at least once a month.
It was reported how most of the patients were being prescribed a stimulant such as Ritalin or Adderall.
Radecki admitted both drugs are controlled substance, have a street value and can be abused.
Serge reviewed over the notes of the patients’ tests and questioned Radecki as to why Ritalin was not showing up in the urine tests even though they were bring prescribed the medication.
Radecki explained a lot of times Ritalin won’t show up in urine tests and the test has to be sent somewhere else for further testing.
Serge also questioned Radecki’s actions about not sending out the tests when their results were coming back, not only with no traces of Ritalin, but with traces of marijuana, cocaine, controlled substances and sometimes heroin.
Radecki explained the reason he never sent the tests for further examination was to “save the patient money.”
Serge tried to put Radecki’s relationship with his patient into perspective by pointing out “Radecki charged his patients each time they came in, each time they took a urine test, had a fee if they were late, added another fee if there were traces of tobacco in their test and yet he was concerned about the patients financial situation by not sending out urine tests for further examination.”
Serge also brought attention to the patients who went to Radecki because they were in legitimate need of psychiatric help.
One patient in particular saw Radecki after experiencing PTSD and being prescribed Vicodin by another physician.
