A Kentucky dentist who was facing a new trial after a U.S. court vacated his verdict and 20-year prison sentence for unlawfully prescribing morphine that caused a patient’s death ended up pleading guilty, according to a story published in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
On October 24, Dr. Jay Sadrinia, 63, who owned and operated dental clinics in Crescent Spring, KY, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance. The dentist now faces a shorter prison term, according to the story.
The offense Sadrinia pleaded guilty to was one of two counts he was convicted of during a June 2023 trial. Sadrinia was sentenced to 20 years in prison, which he appealed. In April 2025, a U.S. court vacated his convictions and sentence, requiring him to face another trial on those same offenses.
Though there was enough evidence to convict Sadrinia of prescribing the morphine without a legitimate medical purpose, which resulted in a patient’s death, testimony about past unrelated events was improperly admitted at Sadrinia’s trial, according to the court opinion.
In June 2023, a jury convicted Sadrinia of one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances resulting in death and one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Multiple times, Sadrinia prescribed morphine to his 24-year-old patient, who underwent an extensive surgical procedure to restore her deteriorating jaw and teeth. The prescriptions exceeded the three-day supply allowed by the state. When the patient overdosed, a toxicology screen revealed that she had an amount of morphine in her system that was approximately three times the fatal amount.
The patient didn’t tell Sadrinia that she was being treated for bipolar disorder, smoked marijuana every day, and was in recovery for an addiction to heroin.
During Sadrinia’s trial, the judge permitted former colleagues to testify about past acts despite objections from the defense. A fellow dentist testified that Sadrinia used her prescription pad. A former office manager quit when Sadrinia used the other doctor's prescription pad, warning Sadrinia that his actions would result in killing a patient.
The appeals court ruled that the testimony from the colleagues wasn’t intrinsic and shouldn’t have been permitted at trial, according to the opinion. The prosecution argued that this error did not cause harm, but the appeals court couldn’t determine whether the testimony affected Sadrinia’s verdict.
