Plymouth Doc Sentenced For Prescription 'Pill Mill': Feds

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA — A Plymouth Meeting resident and physician has been sentenced to prison for operating a prescription "pill mill" and illegally selling opioids to patients, authorities said.

Spiro Y. Kassis, 66, who had offices in both East Norriton and Scranton, will spend the next four years behind bars, U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter ruled this week.

Kassis had previously pleaded guilty to 14 counts of distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.

The doctor who had presented himself as a specialist in psychiatry and addiction medicine saw about 45 "patients" per day, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. They lined up at the back door of his East Norriton office on 40 W. Germantown Pike.

Once inside, each patient gave Kassis $200, and he in turn issued the requested prescriptions electronically to the patient's pharmacy, according to authorities.

Often these prescriptions were sold in dangerous combinations, including mixing oxycodone with methadone and buprenorphine.

Kassis had previously had his medical license suspended temporarily in March 2018 following similar allegations.

He had originally faced up to 250 years behind bars. His four-year prison sentence is in addition to two years of probation following release, as well as a $25,000 fine.

In a separate civil trial in Nov. 2019, Kassis agreed to pay $1.4 million to resolve related allegations.