Oral surgeon sentenced for snatching drugs from patients

An Illinois oral surgeon was sentenced to prison for reportedly stealing fentanyl meant for his surgery patients, shooting them up with adulterated drugs, and performing their procedures without properly managing their pain, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Dr. Phillip Jensen, 64, who operated his now-closed practice in Springfield, IL, was sentenced on December 18 to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay a $200,000 fine. Also, he was ordered to repay the government for the costs of the expert witness and he lost his medical license, according to a press release dated December 20 from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois.

During his sentencing hearing, several patients of the more than 99 identified victims of Jensen's fraud testified, according to the release. In August, Jensen pleaded guilty to two counts of drug diversion, two counts of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, one count of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury, and two counts of false statements relating to healthcare matters.

Starting around December 2019 and continuing through at least August 2020, Jensen allegedly took fentanyl sent to his office, removed the safety caps, withdrew at least half of the fentanyl in the single-use vial, refilled it with saline, and glued the caps back to conceal any tampering. In total, the 63-year-old oral surgeon obtained more than 40 grams of fentanyl for his personal use, according to the release.

His surgical assistants became suspicious when they noticed patients moaning, moving, and noticed changes in patients' blood pressure levels and heart rates, indicating they were in pain during surgeries. In one instance, a patient awoke during surgery and was reportedly struck in the forehead by Jensen. The patient endured the extraction of three teeth and the smoothing of her jawbone without the benefit of anesthesia and the fentanyl that was supposed to manage her pain. These events led to Jensen admitting that he had stolen fentanyl from the vials, according to the release.

Additionally, Jensen purportedly made materially false entries in medical records regarding the fentanyl provided during the surgery of two patients. Molina Healthcare of Illinois paid Jensen $13,137 for the two procedures. In February 2022, a U.S. grand jury indicted Jensen on these charges. Originally, the oral surgeon was released on bond but was detained in July 2024 for violating the terms and conditions of his bond and pretrial release.