Dr. Jessup gets 5 years probation, $50,000 fine in prescription pain pill case

A federal judge sentenced a Cape Girardeau-area doctor to five years probation and a $50,000 fine Tuesday for unlawfully prescribing pain pills.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White handed down the sentence in federal court in Cape Girardeau.

A federal grand jury indicted Dr. Michael Jessup on Aug. 17 on a charge of dispensing controlled substances hydrocodone and alprazolam “outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.”

The case stemmed from an undercover investigation, according to a 12-page plea agreement filed with the court.

According to the indictment, Jessup unlawfully prescribed pain pills in Scott County between Aug. 26, 2016, and Feb. 24, 2017.

On Aug. 26, 2016, an undercover drug task force officer visited Jessup, pretending to have pain similar to what people would experience with sciatica. “Many medical providers would not prescribe opioid pain killers for sciatica,” according to the court document.

During the initial visit, Jessup gave the undercover officer only “a cursory examination, diagnosed him with a ‘hip ailment’ and stated he would try medications for a few months, but may eventually recommend physical therapy,” the plea agreement stated.

Jessup never requested medical records, entered a diagnosis or formulated a treatment plan, the document stated.

The officer had five follow-up visits. During those visits, Jessup “never asked how the hip was doing, never conducted a thorough physical exam, nor recommended X-rays, imaging or physical therapy,” according to the court filing.

Each visit was brief, lasting only a few minutes. The undercover officer each time requested and received higher dosages and/or more pills.

At each follow-up visit, the undercover officer took a urine test to detect the presence of controlled substances.

But while the officer was not using either of the prescribed drugs and did not test positive for the presence of either pain medication, Jessup never inquired as to why the officer was not using the medications and continued to increase the dosages, the plea agreement stated.

“Dr. Jessup acknowledges he was on notice as to the appropriate procedures for handling and prescribing hydrocodone and alprazolam,” according to the agreement.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said medical providers should not prescribe hydrocodone and alprazolam at the same time because of concerns about drug interaction and addiction.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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