(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a Butler County podiatrist pleaded guilty yesterday to overprescribing opioids and improperly accessing patients’ personal information after his prescribing privileges were suspended.

Matthew Sabo, 52, who operated offices in several western Pennsylvania counties, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from conduct in Armstrong and Butler counties.

According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Sabo pleaded guilty to violations of the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, unauthorized access of the ABC-MAP prescription monitoring system and simple assault.

Prosecutors said Sabo overprescribed opioids to patients and continued accessing the state prescription drug monitoring database after his privileges were suspended in July 2022.

Authorities said investigators found Sabo improperly accessed the database for nearly a dozen individuals after the suspension.

An Armstrong County judge sentenced Sabo to one to two years in prison, with permission to serve the sentence on house arrest, followed by six years of probation.

“This doctor had an obligation to provide sound medical care and treatment to his patients, and instead abused his authority for his own selfish reasons,” Sunday said in a statement.

Multiple victims addressed the court during sentencing. Some women testified before a statewide investigating grand jury that Sabo touched them inappropriately and prescribed high levels of opioids over extended periods.

According to prosecutors, some patients believed they could lose access to prescriptions if they rejected or reported Sabo’s conduct.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Kara Cotter.