Teen Mom Leah Messer’s ex-doctor found GUILTY of ‘distributing drugs for cash’ after MTV star testifies at trial
TEEN Mom 2 star Leah Messer’s ex-doctor has been found GUILTY of “distributing drugs for cash” after the MTV star testified at his trial.
On part two of the Teen Mom 2 reunion, Leah, 29, revealed she was subpoenaed to testify in a case against her former doctor who was “involved in over prescribing medication.”
In court papers exclusively obtained by The Sun, Dr. Sriramloo Kesari of West Virginia faced charges for “routinely prescribing various Schedule III controlled substances, including Buprenorphine Hcl and Suboxone for his patients outside the usual course of professional practice and without legitimate medical purpose.”
Buprenorphine Hcl and Suboxone are used to treat narcotic dependence.
He was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, Buprenorphine Hcl and Suboxone, from October 2018 to May 2019.
He was also hit with 12 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
The court papers read: “Defendant Sriramloo Kesari did knowingly, intentionally, and without authority, distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of Buprenorphine Hcl and Suboxone without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice from 2018 to 2019.”
A press release from the Department of Justice read: “Kesari, who was at times physically located in California, operated a cash-only operation whereby he would sign prescriptions that his employee would distribute in exchange for cash payments.
“Although Suboxone is approved as a drug for treating opioid addiction, Kesari provided no meaningful addiction treatment and instead, prescribed Suboxone to an undercover DEA agent who was demonstrating clear signs that the Suboxone was being diverted or sold on the street.”
According to court papers, Leah, 29, was a patient of his from 2015 to 2019.
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DOCTOR FIGHTS BACK
Dr. Kesari pleaded not guilty at the time of his arraignment.
After a jury trial in May 2021, Dr. Kesari was found guilty of count 13, which was unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
He was found not guilty for the other charges.
His sentencing is August 25 and he faces 20 years in prison.
Soon after the verdict, Dr. Kesari filed an oral motion for an acquittal or new trial, court papers reveal.
The court papers read: “The jury’s guilty verdict on Count 13 ignores the abundant evidence that Dr. Kesari acted in good faith when treating the UCA, and is inconsistent with the government’s failure to meet its burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dr. Kesari acted in other than objective good faith in prescribing Suboxone to the UCA.”
The prosecutor responded by demanding the court “deny Kesari’s motion for judgement of acquittal or a new trial.”
BRAVE BATTLE
Leah has been open in recent years about her battle with addiction.
The mom of twins Ali and Aleeah, 11, with ex-husband Corey Simms, and Addie, 8, with ex-spouse Jeremy Calvert, was often filmed slurring her words and nodding off mid-sentence on the show.
Leah claimed in the memoir Hope, Grace, Faith how she got a “botched” spinal tap back in 2013 when she had a C-section with Addie.
The reality star penned in the book that the hospital prescribed her with painkillers Hydrocodone, Oxycodone and Tylenol 3.
She also took Diazepam for her anxiety, which she wrote “really knocked me out.”
She wrote: “At first, the medications helped dull the pain in my body and my mind, but at some point, they stopped helping. Now, I’m starting to think they might be part of the problem.
“I just want to feel normal, but I’m either in so much physical pain that I can barely stand, or so foggy from the pills that I look like a junkie.”
When she tried to stop taking the pills, she would suffer from flu-like symptoms, including body aches and nausea.
She tried to wean herself off the medication with the help of her mom, Dawn, and her stepdad, Lee, who is a registered nurse.
She admitted to even doing heroin once, which she purchased off the streets.
ROAD TO RECOVERY
Corey accused Leah of abusing drugs on the MTV show and she ended up losing custody of her twins for a short period in 2015.
She and Corey now share 50/50 custody.
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The reality star entered a treatment facility after Teen Mom 2 producers viewed GoPro footage of her attempting to commit suicide by driving off a cliff.
When she was discharged, she moved to a dorm and began the Trauma Recovery track, where she would have private and group therapy.
She said going to treatment was the “best choice” she ever made.