Pill Mill Doctor Guilty Of Involuntary Manslaughter, Other Charges

(News/talk 1480 WHBC) – A doctor who ran a pill mill out of his Jackson Township office and prescribed opiates without a medical purpose has been convicted on numerous charges.

A Stark County jury found Frank Lazzerini guilty of 187 of the 264 counts against him.

Most notably, he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for his role in the death of Jamie Hayhurst, aggravated trafficking in drugs, medicaid fraud and grand theft, and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity for using his medical office to run a criminal enterprise.

Stark County Prosecuting Attorney John D. Ferrero says his office will be filing a sentencing brief for the court’s consideration in which they will detail sentences in similar cases, examine the harm caused to individuals and the community by Lazzerini’s actions, and recommend a sentence.

He says the 41-year-old Lazzerini faces several hundred years in prison.

He’ll be sentenced on July 3rd.

Ferrero thanked all the law enforcement agencies and prosecutors that worked the case, and also thanked the citizens of Stark County who served as jurors during the “unique trial”.