Maryland dentist faces up to 20 years after plea deal

A man whose dental license was suspended last year has reportedly agreed to a plea bargain with prosecutors involving federal charges related to drug distribution and sex crimes. According to court documents, the man agreed on June 6 to enter a plea of guilty to a charge of unlawfully distributing oxycodone, avoiding a trial that was set to begin the following week.

Federal prosecutors dropped an additional drug charge as well as a charge related to an alleged attempt to solicit sex from an underaged girl in exchange for the man’s guilty plea. The man also has been charged by the state of Maryland for allegedly exposing himself in his waiting room. He may receive a federal sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment.

As the man’s potentially lengthy sentence for his federal drug charge could be augmented by a substantial state sentence in Maryland, he may wish to employ a criminal defense lawyer to manage his defense against the Maryland charges. A conviction on the charge of sexual solicitation of a minor is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $25,000.

In this case, a defense lawyer could prove especially necessary to the defendant, as he may have already been imprisoned on his federal conviction by the time he comes to trial in Maryland. It is notoriously difficult for defendants to mount a defense from prison, given the lack of resources available to them and the difficulty of communicating with people outside of the prison.

Source: CBS Baltimore, “Western Md. Dentist Gets Plea Deal On Federal Drug Charges”, June 10, 2014