A long time St. Joseph health care professional accused of diverting opiods and health care fraud will lose his license after entering a no contest plea to 10 felony counts in Berrien County Court today. Dr. Craig Sherwood faces sentencing, but apparently will not face jail time, based on a plea deal.
Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic says that the 65 year old Podiatrist from St. Joseph has pled no contest today to 10 felony counts, 5 counts of diverting opioids (Delivery of Schedule 2 controlled substances) and 5 counts of health care fraud.
Sepic says the delivery counts are 20-year maximums and the fraud counts are 4-year maximums. He adds that Dr. Sherwood has started the process of giving up his DEA license, which authorizes a doctor to issue prescriptions, and his Michigan medical license and medical practice will be terminated as of 12/31/2017.
In a plea agreement, the prosecutor’s office has agreed not to charge additional counts of the same charges, nor to pursue other medical related offenses and has agreed that his sentence not include incarceration.
The investigation by the South West Enforcement Team (SWET) found Sherwood, between 2014 and 2016, wrote prescriptions in the name of family members who were not patients of his and to patients who were encouraged to bring in unused portions of filled prescriptions back to Dr. Sherwood. In addition, many of the prescriptions were paid by private insurance.
The investigation did not produce evidence Sherwood was selling opioids or that anyone suffered from an opioid overdose.
Sherwood is free on bond pending his sentencing scheduled for December 11, 2017 at 1:30.
The Southwest Enforcement Team (SWET) is comprised of sworn law enforcement personnel from the Michigan State Police, Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, Barry County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, Covert Police Department, Kalamazoo Township Police Department and South Haven Police Department.
SWET is funded in part by the Michigan HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, Byrne JAG grant.
