INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis doctor who is accused of trading pills for sex had his medical license suspended indefinitely Thursday.
The decision to suspend Dr. Tristan Stonger's license was approved by the state's Medical Licensing Board Thursday. It was part of an agreement between the Attorney General's office and Stonger.
Stonger was charged on Tuesday by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, accused of trading pills for sex.
He currently faces the following charges:
- Two counts of dealing in a narcotic drug (hydrocodone), a Level 2 Felony
- One count of dealing in a narcotic drug (morphine), a Level 5 Felony
- Two counts of dealing in a schedule II controlled substance (amphetamine), a Level 6 Felony
- One count of dispensing a legend drug illegally (pregabalin), a Level 6 Felony
Stonger originally met with the Attorney General's office to have it suspended as part of the agreement.
He was arrested without incident on Monday.
A probable cause affidavit filed Monday lays out allegations that Stonger would overprescribe opiates to patients in order to cause them to develop dependency to the medication. Investigators allege Stonger would then demand sex in exchange for continued prescriptions.
Investigators said a friend of one of those patients told police Stonger "pumped her with pills."
A former employee told DEA agents that Stonger would regularly see 80-150 patients per day, and only spend 2-5 minutes with them at a time. Some of those patients would be taken to a room alone with Stonger, where he would lock the door behind him, according to the probable cause.
When the DEA began investigating his practice, Stonger reportedly told a patient cooperating with police to lie.
"If you don't lie to them, I'll lose everything," Stonger allegedly told the patient. "I will lose my license because of this. You're my patient. I'm your doctor. They will take my license away from me because of this."
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