George Blatti

Serial Killer

George Blatti – The Long Island Doctor Whose Prescription Practices Led to Five Deaths

Background

George Blatti was a Long Island, New York physician whose reckless prescription practices were blamed for the deaths of five patients between 2016 and 2018. His case became extraordinary because prosecutors initially charged him with five counts of second-degree murder under a theory of depraved indifference to human life. Authorities believed he was the first physician in New York State to face murder charges on that legal theory for the reckless prescribing of controlled substances. Although Blatti has sometimes been characterized as a serial killer because his actions were connected to five separate deaths over an extended period, he was ultimately not convicted of murder. He pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree manslaughter. Blatti had been licensed to practice medicine since 1976 and worked as a general practitioner. Despite prescribing large amounts of powerful opioid painkillers and other controlled medications, he had no specialized training or accreditation in pain management. Investigators later determined that some of his patients were receiving thousands of pills while showing unmistakable signs of addiction, deteriorating health, previous overdoses, and other medical conditions that made continued opioid use particularly dangerous.

A Highly Unusual Medical Practice

Blatti's practice eventually bore little resemblance to a conventional medical office. For a period of time, he saw patients in a makeshift office inside a former Radio Shack storefront in Franklin Square, New York. The old Radio Shack sign and merchandise racks reportedly remained inside the building while Blatti conducted his practice. After losing access to the Franklin Square location, Blatti continued seeing patients from his automobile. Investigators said he wrote prescriptions while meeting people in parking lots near the Rockville Centre hotel where he lived and near a Dunkin' Donuts. Authorities found that prescriptions were sometimes issued without a meaningful physical examination or review of a patient's medical history. In some instances, controlled substances were prescribed for individuals Blatti had reportedly never personally examined or even spoken with. Blatti also had authorization to use paper prescriptions rather than New York's generally required electronic prescription system. Electronic prescribing provides a greater degree of oversight and makes unusual prescribing patterns easier to identify. His extensive use of paper prescriptions became an important part of the investigation into how such large quantities of controlled medication could continue to be distributed. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Michael Kinzer Age: (44), Date of Death: 2016-11-17

Doctor Who Prescribed Pain Pills Is Charged With 5 Counts of Murder