Former Muscatine Doctor Sentenced for Distributing Controlled Substances Not for Legitimate Medical Purpose and Outside the Scope of Professional Practice

DAVENPORT, IA—On July 18, 2013, David Vincent Gierlus, age 60, formerly an osteopathic doctor in Muscatine, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 96 months’ imprisonment and a fine of $400,000 after pleading guilty to distributing hydrocodone to a patient without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the scope of professional practice, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Gierlus was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release following the imprisonment and to pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund.

In August 2012, Gierlus was charged in a criminal complaint with three counts of illegal distribution of drugs to patients. According to the criminal complaint, Gierlus provided prescriptions for controlled substances in exchange for sex. The criminal complaint also alleged that one patient advised that the sexual contact ranged from oral sex, both during medical appointments and outside the office in Gierlus’s vehicle, to intercourse in the examination room during medical appointments. That patient estimated she and Gierlus had sexual contact more than 50 times.

An indictment was filed against Gierlus in January 2013, and on March 1, 2013, Gierlus plead guilty to one of the counts of the indictment. Pursuant to a written sentencing agreement, Gierlus agreed to the 96-month sentence.

Gierlus is no longer licensed to practice medicine and is prohibited from providing any form of health services during the five years he is on supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Muscatine, Iowa Police Department; the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office; and the Muscatine County Drug Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.