Kentucky doctor sentenced for prescribing pills in exchange for sex
A Kentucky doctor has been sentenced to prison for writing unlawful pain pill prescriptions for patients with whom he was sexually involved for a decade.
Michael Gainey, 70, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison July 31, according to court documents.
He pleaded guilty to seven counts of unlawful distribution of hydrocodone, oxycodone, clonazepam, diazepam, gabapentin and other controlled substances.
Gainey worked as a family medicine doctor in Harrison County, where he treated and prescribed controlled substances to at least seven people who he would have sexual relationships with, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
“While the nature of the opioid epidemic in Kentucky has changed, bad prescriptions for these highly addictive drugs continue to be contributing factor,” Acting U.S. Attorney Paul McCaffrey said. “Solving this crisis requires a zero-tolerance policy for physicians like Dr. Gainey who intentionally abuse their prescribing authority.”
In interviews with the Drug Enforcement Agency, one of Gainey’s patients said between 2013 and June 2023, the patient performed oral sex on Gainey in exchange for “thousands of hydrocodone and oxycodone pills,” according to court documents.
The patient reported they became anxious before each appointment because they knew Gainey would demand oral sex and was fearful he would stop writing the prescriptions.
Another patient said Gainey touched them inappropriately in 2014, and it escalated over the years to include more forcible sex acts. Gainey threatened to stop prescribing medication if the patient did not comply, according to court documents.
In a three-paged letter included in court documents, Gainey told the court he was sorry for his actions that “dishonored his sense of decency.”
Gainey quoted Robert Lewis Stevenson and wrote, “Sooner or later in life, we all sit down to a banquet of consequences.”
Under federal law, Gainey must serve 85% of his prison sentence. He will be under supervised released for three years after prison.
“The vast majority of doctors take their oath to first do no harm very seriously, but every now and then we arrest one that is just a drug dealer in a white lab coat, like Dr. Gainey,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Louisville Division. “Dr. Gainey chose to put his own needs above those of his patients and now he will have to answer for his misdeeds.”
