Bedford doctor pleads guilty to drug charges

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by Emily Canning-Dean

Reporter

Bedford -- A local doctor could face up to four years in prison after pleading guilty Feb. 22 to charges of illegally dispensing painkillers.

Herbert I. Medoff, 74, of Brecksville, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of drug trafficking and three counts of corrupting another with drugs.

Medoff, a geriatric cardiologist who had an office in Bedford, is scheduled to be sentenced March 19. Medoff's attorney, Brian Downey, declined comment.

Andrea Ball, spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, said Medoff was originally charged with 47 counts of drug trafficking, nine counts of corrupting another with drugs and three counts of sexual battery. She said Medoff agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charges as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Ball said corrupting another with drugs is a second-degree felony; and the drug trafficking charges range from third- to fifth-degree felonies.

According to the plea agreement, Medoff would spend four years in prison with an opportunity for parole after two years. He would permanently lose his medical license in Ohio and would pay a $300,000 fine, Ball said.

Prosecutors allege that starting in 2004, Medoff illegally dispensed painkillers to six women in exchange for sex. They alleged he also prescribed "large amounts" of painkillers to a man who, in return, allegedly agreed to steer women toward Medoff.