Local doctor gets prison

TOLEDO — An 85-year-old Port Clinton pain management doctor accused of irresponsibly distributing opioids was sentenced to prison by a federal judge Thursday. William "Bill" Bauer, a local neurologist who formerly practiced in Sandusky, was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Bauer was convicted on 75 counts of distribution of a controlled substance and 25 counts of insurance fraud in the Ohio Northern District Court last year. Bauer was ordered to pay $464,099 restitution charge to Medicaid and Medicare. He must also pay $100,000 in restitution, which the court recommended be paid out to the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot counties. "I will confess I struggled with what is the appropriate sentence in this case," said U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary during Thursday's hearing. "The easier decision was whether to judge downward from the guideline range, the harder decision was by how much." Federal prosecutors were seeking a 17-year prison sentence. Bauer's defense attorneys previously argued that the aging doctor be permitted to serve his sentence via house arrest. Zouhary was the only one to make comments at the final hearing. He referenced vital moments from the jury trial last July that stuck with him through the case, including "before and after" photos of the victims and their testimonies. "I can still picture these patients. The pictures told a good part of the story," Zouhary said. "Each one had a story of despair, sadness and addiction." Fourteen people were identified as victims in the indictment. Zouhary read each of their first names out loud during the sentencing, including one patient who died of an accidental overdose in 2015. Bauer's defense previously asked the judge to consider Bauer's age and medical issues before sentencing him to prison. Zouhary assured Bauer that prison medical facilities could assist him and said he contemplated the age factor with his staff. Bauer was accused of prescribing strong opioids like fentanyl, oxycodone and morphine without a legitimate medical purpose. At one point, local pharmacists stopped filling his prescriptions. "You were a private practice whose main business was from referral and word of mouth amongst the addicted," Zouhary said. "Doctors or other professionals who engage in this behavior are part of the problem." The state was represented by six prosecutors: Gene Crawford, Payum Doroodian, Suzana Krstevski Koch, Robert N. Melching and Michael A. Sullivan. Bauer's attorneys were John Gibbons, Ed Rhode III and Orville E. Stifel II. Gibbons did not respond to a request for comment by press time Thursday. Attorney General David Yost condemned Bauer's actions in a news release issued after the hearing. "This doctor contributed to the tidal wave of opioid overdoses that flooded our communities," Yost said. "I am proud of the state and federal partnerships that continue to work to stem the tide of addiction." Some of Bauer's patients previously interviewed by the Register still had support for the doctor. More than 200 letters supporting the doctor were submitted to court ahead of the final sentencing, many were from former patients. Zouhary said Bauer refused to acknowledge any harm he may have caused throughout the whole trial. "No doubt you did help some patients, but you were blinded by your convictions," Zouhary said. Bauer requested he be allowed to serve his time at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, a federal prison that specializes in patients with health needs. He will begin his sentence sometime after June 4.