NORWICH, CT – MARCH 23: Oxycodone pain pills prescribed for a patient with chronic pain lie on display on March 23, 2016 in Norwich, CT. On March 15, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), announced guidelines for doctors to reduce the amount of opioid painkillers prescribed, in an effort to curb the epidemic. The […]

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach dentist pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that he ran an elaborate scheme to prescribe oxycodone pills without a legitimate medical purpose.

The U.S. Attorneys said in a news release 48-year-old Gary Hartman, who has been a dentist since 2002, was involved the conspiracy from 2014 to 2018.

In the scheme, Hartman and others got prescriptions for oxycodone pills for their own personal use.

Hartman would write prescriptions for close friends from high school. These friends would fill the prescriptions, bring back most of the pills for Hartman and then keep the rest.

Hartman and another dentist wrote prescriptions for each other for oxycodone and muscle relaxants. He would also promise impoverished people free dental work in exchange for having them fill prescriptions.

The release said this conspiracy involved 766 prescriptions and nearly 40,000 oxycodone pills.

Hartman could face up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 2.

