JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A Jackson Township doctor who ran a pill mill out of Premier Family Practice was sentenced to 113 years in prison on Friday.
Frank Lazzerini, 41, of Barberton, was originally indicted on 272 counts after authorities raided his office in February 2018.
After a trial that lasted five weeks, a jury found Lazzerini guilty in June of involuntary manslaughter, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, aggravated trafficking, Medicaid fraud, grand theft, tampering with records and illegal processing of drug documents. In total, he was found guilty on 187 counts.
Judge Kristin Farmer said Lazzerini became a "figurative Dr. Frankenstein." As part of the sentencing, he was ordered to surrender his medical license.
The involuntary manslaughter conviction relates to the death of a patient, Jaimie Hayhurst, of Canton in 2014.
"This man, this defendant abused that trust for his own greed, his own gain," said Senior Assistant Prosecutor Toni Schnellinger. "He directly contributed to the opioid epidemic within not only Stark County, not only Ohio, but even surrounding states."
Prior to sentencing, Lazzerini's sister, Margaret Jordan-Lazzerini, asked for leniency.
"Making an example of my brother is not fair or just and it will not change anything," she said. "The opioid epidemic will not end because one doctor, my brother Frank Lazzerini, is locked away for life."
News 5 media partner The Canton Repository reported that prosecutors wrote Lazzerini showed no remorse or responsibility during the trial.
Lazzerini's attorneys are planning to file an appeal.
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