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Board of Dentistry denies reinstatement for VB dentist convicted of opioid fraud

Top Stories: Thursday, March 5
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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man who was convicted for an opioid fraud scheme that went on from 2014 to 2018 will not be reinstated as a dentist, the Virginia Board of Dentistry decided Thursday.

On May 9, 2018, Gary Hartman pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone pills without a legitimate medical purpose. He was sentenced to serve around eight and a half years in prison.

Hartman was part of an elaborate scheme to prescribe opioids such as hydrocodone and oxycodone pills for his personal use and the use of his co-conspirators, according to court documents.

Watch related coverage: Board of Dentistry allowed Chesapeake dentist with 'negligent and dangerous' history to practice

Board of Dentistry allowed dentist with 'negligent and dangerous' history to practice

The types of people that Hartman would prescribe pills to included, close friends from high school, other dentist and low-income community members.

Court documents say he would offer free dental work to those impoverished in exchange for the service of filling prescriptions of oxycodone pills written by Hartman and bringing the pills back to Hartman for his personal use.

This conspiracy involved 766 prescriptions written for non-medical reasons and almost 40,000 oxycodone pills.