Nessel charges Clinton Township doctor with nine counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance

Dr. Stephen Swetech, M.D., 68, of Clinton Township, was arraigned in the Macomb County 41B District Court on March 21 for overprescribing controlled substances, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.

Swetech was charged with nine counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Schedules 1, 2, and 3 Except Marihuana)—a 7-year felony.

“It is imperative that those entrusted to prescribe medication use that power lawfully, ethically, and in such a manner not to facilitate addiction,” said Nessel.

Swetech was charged after an investigation was completed for over-prescribing and/or illegally prescribing controlled medications at his medical practice located in Clinton Township. The investigation identified patients who told investigators that Swetech would prescribe opiates at appointments with little to no physical examination, medical necessity, or testing performed. The patients further indicated that Swetech performed these services for cash.

The investigation utilized undercover patients who saw Swetech and controlled substances were prescribed at each of the nine medical appointments between March 29, 2017, and September 28, 2017. It is alleged that legal standards governing patient care and prescribing were violated during these medical appointments causing the care provided to be dangerous to patient health and safety.

Swetech is due back in court for a Probable Cause Conference on April 24.

The attorney general’s Health Care Fraud Division (HCFD) handled this case for the department. The HCFD is the federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for Michigan, and it receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $5,196,188 for the fiscal year 2023. The remaining 25% percent, totaling $1,732,061, is funded by the State of Michigan.

In 2021, Nessel joined in multistate settlements, securing over $776 million to Michigan governments for the treatment, intervention and remediation of opioid-use disorder.  Additional settlements with other companies are ongoing. A breakdown of how the settlement money is to be spent on opioid treatment and prevention is available here.

Anyone in need opioid addiction treatment can find resources to help at www.michigan.gov/opioids/find-help.