For the first time in the United States, a California physician has been convicted of murder by over-prescribing drugs, according to CNN.
Hsiu-Ying "Lisa" Tseng, DO, was arrested three years ago after undercover agents posed as patients. Prior to her arrest, Dr. Tseng had written over 27,000 painkiller prescriptions in three years and regularly gave out prescriptions in as little as three minutes.
When her trial began in the Los Angeles County Superior Court Aug. 31, Dr. Tseng had pleaded not guilty the murder of three people.
But on Oct. 30, the jury found Dr. Tseng guilty of 23 counts, including one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and 19 counts of unlawful controlled substance prescription.
Dr. Tseng was convicted of second-degree murder for the deaths of Vu Nguyen, Steven Ogle and Joseph Rovero, all of whom were in their 20s when they died.
"This verdict sends a strong message to individuals in the medical community who put patients at risk for their own financial gain," said District Attorney Jackie Lacey. "In this case, the doctor stole the lives of three young people in her misguided effort to get rich quick."