Pittsford doctor charged with manslaughter in overdose death 

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New York State Attorney General Letitia James says that a doctor from Pittsford has been indicted on a manslaughter charge and other felonies related to the overdose death of a patient.

According to James, 55-year-old primary care physician Sudipt Deshmukh prescribed a lethal mix of opioids and other controlled substances, which resulted in the overdose death of a patient who Desmukh knew struggled with addiction.

Besides a charge of second degree manslaughter, Deshmukh was also charged with two counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree related to two patients and six counts of criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance or of a controlled substance by a practitioner or pharmacist for over prescribing high doses of powerful opioid pain killers. Deshmukh also faces charges of health care fraud.

The indictment announced Friday stems from the action taken by a grand jury in Monroe County , alleging that between 2006 and 2016, Deshmukh was aware of and fostered his patients’ addictions and ignored his professional responsibilities.

The attorney general says the indictment follows charges first filed by her office last August, alleging that Deshmukh — who, according to witnesses, rarely performed physical examinations on patients who showed clear signs of addiction, — provided patients with narcotics on request.

Deshmukh will be in Monroe County Court for arraignment at a later date.

Randy Gorbman is the news director at WXXI News, a media partner of CITY.