DETROIT – A dozen doctors are among 16 people in Michigan and Ohio who have been sentenced to prison in an opioid scheme that included the distribution of 6.6 million pills and $250 million in false billings, authorities said.

The health care fraud exploited patients suffering from opioid addiction, the Justice Department said in a news release. The doctors used money made from distributing opioid to drug dealers and exploiting addicted patients to buy jewelry, luxury vehicles, vacations, courtside seat to the NBA Finals, swimming pools and indoor basketball courts, federal prosecutors say.

“These are not just crimes of greed, these are crimes that make this country’s opioid crisis even worse,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr.

Of the 23 people convicted in this scheme, 18 pleaded guilty and five went to trial. Seven are awaiting sentencing. So far, sentences range from six months and $144,000 in restitution to 15 years and more than $51 million in restitution.

The fraud was perpetrated through a multi-state network of pain clinics from 2007 to 2018, court documents show. The clinics were frequented by patients suffering from addiction and drug dealers seeking high-dosage prescriptions like oxycodone; the doctors working at the clinics were among the highest prescribers of oxycodone in Michigan.

The scheme involved doctors refusing to provide patients with opioids unless they agreed to “expensive, unnecessary and sometimes painful back injections,” documents show. The injections were selected because they were among the highest-reimbursing procedures, rather than for medical need. Many patients agreed to repeated injections because of their addiction or desire to obtain pills to be resold by drug dealers.

The proceeds of the fraud were used to “fuel lavish lifestyles,” the DOJ said.

Francisco Patino, a doctor and part-owner of the clinics, bought jewelry, cars and vacations and paid mixed martial arts fighters to promote his diet program. He was convicted last year of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, two counts of health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. He has not yet been sentenced.

Mashiyat Rashid, Patino’s business partner and part-owner of the clinics, purchased private jet flights, courtside tickets to the NBA Finals and expensive real estate. Rashid pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and money laundering. He was sentenced in March 2021 to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $51 million in restitution.

Other physicians involved in the scheme purchased luxury cars, gold bars and built indoor basketball courts and swimming pools. More than $16 million in fraud proceeds was seized by the government.

The physicians sentenced in this case include:

• Spilios Pappas, M.D., 63, of Lucas County, Ohio, convicted at trial in 2020 for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud, was sentenced on March 9, to nine years in prison and ordered to pay $32,287,758 in restitution.

• Tariq Omar, M.D., 63, of Oakland County, Michigan, convicted at trial in 2020 for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud, was sentenced on March 9, to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $24,243,603 in restitution.

• Joseph Betro, D.O., 60, of Oakland County, Michigan, convicted at trial in 2020 for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud, was sentenced in February to nine years in prison and ordered to pay $27,417,516 in restitution.

• Mohammed Zahoor, M.D., 53, of Oakland County, Michigan, convicted at trial in 2020 for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and health care fraud, was sentenced in February to eight years in prison and ordered to pay $36,645,577 in restitution.

• Zahid Sheikh, M.D., 62, of Macomb County, Michigan, was sentenced to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $2,088,797 in restitution in connection with his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

• Abdul Haq, M.D., 76, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $6,927,046.12 in restitution in connection with his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

• Steven Adamczyk, M.D., 47, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,237,570.97 in restitution in connection with his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

• David Weaver, M.D., 67, of Canton, Michigan, was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay $229,500 in restitution in connection with his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

• Glenn Saperstein, M.D., 58, of Commerce Township, Michigan, was sentenced to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay $2,722,760.95 in restitution in connection with his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

• Manish Bolina, M.D., 43, of Canton, Michigan, was sentenced to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay $310,936.95 in restitution in connection with his guilty plea to one count of false statements.

• Hussein Saad, M.D., 42, of Dearborn, Michigan, was sentenced to 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $415,207.54 in restitution in connection with his guilty plea to one count of false statements.

• David Yangouyian, M.D., 58, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay $35,480.98 in restitution in connection with his guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.