A New Castle resident was sentenced in a federal court for unlawfully prescribing and distributing controlled substances.

This is according to an announcement from Acting United States Attorney, Stephen R. Kaufman on Friday.

United States District Judge, David S. Cercone sentenced Thomas Ranieri (68) to two years of supervised release with the first year serving as home detention.

During his plea hearing in August of 2019, Ranieri admitted that he was formerly a physician who practiced as an anesthesiologist and pain-management specialist working from New Castle, as well as multiple locations in Ohio.

From Jan. 2 to June 26, 2013, Ranieri perscribed and distributed Schedule II controlled substances (i.e. Fentanyl, Oxycodone and Opana ER) outside the course of professional practice and with no legitimate medical purposes. 

Ranieri pled guilty to 14 distribution counts associated with his dispensing of approximately 1,100 doses of narcotics.