Ex-Craig Doctor Heads To Prison For Unlawful Prescriptions

A former Craig doctor who was convicted of overprescribing narcotic painkillers has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.

The Craig Daily Press reports that Joel Miller was sentenced after being found guilty of several charges related to allegations that he overprescribed controlled substances while he worked in Craig from 2008 to 2010.

Miller had initially faced 20 years to life in prison but was acquitted of the most serious charge against him, unlawful distribution of a controlled substance resulting in a death, earlier this month. A federal judge had granted the defense's motion for acquittal because of a missing word in a charging document.

Miller would have been the first Colorado doctor to receive a sentence for causing the death of a patient.