Carlisle, Pa. - In court, Dr. Jennifer Zampogna apologized to the judge for her actions.

The judge then sentenced her to 23 months of supervised probation and ordered her to pay a $15,000 fine. 

Zampogna pleaded guilty in September to charges she wrote fake prescriptions for painkillers to feed her own addiction.

Prosecutors for the state attorney general's office said Zampogna could have faced jail time. However, they said they did not expect her to receive a prison sentence. They said probation was well within the standard range for her crimes because she does not have a prior criminal record.

After her guilty plea, Zampogna lost her license to practice medicine in Pennsylvania for 10 years. 

Following her arrest, Zampogna entered into treatment and was allowed to return to her dermatology practice.

Defense attorney Jay Abom said Tuesday that prosecutors should have allowed Zampogna to enter into a court treatment program that would have avoided that lengthy suspension. Abom said other local doctors were allowed to enter into that program.

"There's no question that her case was handled in a different manner than similarly situated doctors who have done the same thing," Abom said.

But prosecutor Lawrence Cherba said those cases were handled by local district attorneys, not by the attorney general's office. He also said he treated the dermatologist no differently than any other person accused of a drug crime.

"I don't see any difference," Cherba said. "That's the way our office looks at it, and that's why we treat everyone the same - whether it's the street corner juvenile that's doing it or the powerful doctor that's doing it."

Cherba said a former patient and Dr. Zampogna's former physician's assistant attended the sentencing hearing. He said both wanted to testify about how they were affected by Zampogna's addiction. The judge did not allow them to speak.

"When you're a physician and you're performing surgery on any patient, and you're under the influence of any type of drugs, there's always the possibility you could make a mistake," Cherba said. "And it could be minor, it could be catastrophic."

Abom reacted strongly to that statement saying there's no evidence Zampogna ever endangered her patients. He said if prosecutors had evidence to that effect they would have charged her accordingly.

"This case has taken a huge personal and financial toll on Dr. Zampogna and her family and she's ready now to move on with the next phase of her life," Abom said.  "I know she wants to say thank you to her many hundreds of friends, patients, and other doctors."

Zamogna's husband, Chris Zampogna, said his wife isn't sure what she'll do next.  He said her options are "terribly limited" because of her felony conviction. He said his family does plan to stay in the area.

 

 Email To Friend