Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 35-year-old John R. LoFaso of Williamsville pleaded guilty this morning before Buffalo City Court Judge Shannon M. Heneghan to one count of Disorderly Conduct (violation). The defendant was permitted to plead guilty to a reduced charge after successfully completing the Buffalo Opioid Intervention Court program overseen by Judge Heneghan.

The defendant, while working as an anesthesiologist, was accused of fraudulently modifying patient’s medical records after the chart had been closed to obtain prescription fentanyl, a controlled substance, for his personal use. The crime was uncovered earlier this year after the hospital’s pharmacy manager conducted an internal investigation, which identified five other incidents where the defendant allegedly altered patient records to illegally obtain prescription fentanyl.

Today, LoFaso was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. As part of his sentence, Judge Heneghan ordered the defendant to continue undergoing his medical treatments.

“Whenever possible, I want to give an individual who has made a bad decision by committing a crime the opportunity for a second chance. Opiates, particularly fentanyl, are highly addictive and deadly drugs. The Buffalo Opioid Intervention Courts gives a person a second chance at life by holding them accountable while getting them the help they need to overcome their addiction,” said Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn.

DA Flynn commends the Buffalo General Medical Center and the New York State Department of Health for their work in the investigation.  

The case was prosecuted by Chief Candace K. Vogel of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions (SIP) Unit.