Moorefield doctor charged in fatal overdose


A Moorefield physician has been arrested and charged with illegally prescribing medications that led to a fatal overdose this year.
By The Associated Press
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ELKINS, W.Va. -- A Moorefield physician has been arrested and charged with illegally prescribing medications that led to a fatal overdose this year.

Dr. Rajan Bakhshish Masih was arrested Wednesday and is currently in federal custody. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 1 in Elkins.

U.S. Attorney Sharon Potter said Masih allegedly prescribed 120 tablets of the painkiller hydromorphone and 50 doses of the tranquilizer diazepam to an individual who died on Feb. 20 after taking the drugs.

The criminal complaint against Masih says the medications were not prescribed for legitimate medical reasons.

If convicted, Masih could face life imprisonment. His lawyer, Steve Jory of Elkins, declined

A Moorefield, West Virginia physician was arrested Wednesday on charges of illegally prescribing medications that caused a deadly overdose in February.

U.S. Attorney Sharon L. Potter announced that Dr. Rajan Bakhshish Masih was arrested on charges that he allegedly distributed and dispensed 120 tablets of Hydromorphone and 50 doses of Diazepam to an individual February 20, resulting in the death of that individual from the use of the substances.

The criminal complaint further alleges that Masih did not distribute the substances for legitimate medical purposes in the usual course of his professional medical practices.

He had an initial appearance Wednesday before Magistrate Judge John S. Kaull and is currently in federal custody. A preliminary hearing and detention hearing have been scheduled for September 1 in Elkins.

The charge in the criminal complaint carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of $1,000,000.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hagerstown, Maryland Task Force; the West Virginia State Police; the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; the West Virginia Insurance Commission; the Grant County Sheriff’s Department; and the City of Moorefield Police Department.

It should be noted that the charges contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Masih's lawyer, Steve Jory of Elkins, declined comment Thursday.

Latest Comments
Posted by: Anonymous Location: Virginia on Sep 4, 2009 at 11:47 AM

Are there any programs in the South Branch Valley that focus on Substance Abuse Education/Prevention Programs for youth? If not, there is money available on the national level to develop and administer such programs. I am suggesting that you develop a strong presence in the PTA Groups; Churches; etc and demand that someone submit a grant application to one of the federal agencies such as SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration). It's bad enough to see adults who are experiencing such critical issues from drugs but with youth, it's ten times worse. You can also log-on to samhsa.gov to acquire scientific data on the use and abuse of all drugs. Google The National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health and read the abstracts. My hope is that all of you will use the incident noted in these postings in a positive manner. Make a promise to do whatever it takes to keep your children safe and headed in the right direction. They are the future.
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Posted by: Brian Grapes Location: Riverton WV on Sep 3, 2009 at 10:22 PM

Amused this comment is for you,You have not a clue what you are running your mouth about..... You are in winchester,SO YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW GREAT OF A PERSON AND DOCTOR HE IS!!! PEOPLE BELIEVE AND TRUST HIM BECAUSE HE IS A TRUSTING CARING DOCTOR,SO UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT RAJ TO YOURSELF!!!!! LIKE IT OR NOT........RAJ IS THE NICEST PERSON OUT THERE SO DON'T TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE IS IS DIRT!!!!!
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Posted by: anonymous Location: hardy on Sep 3, 2009 at 08:08 PM

Well let's see how much everyone likes the Doctor now that he can't write them anymore narcotics. I'm sure some of you will change your tune. I think Ravi is taking a big chance going in with his brother. I really like Ravi but am not sure I go back to him because I still can't get pass his brother giving out the narcotics freely, and hurting so many families. I'm kinda surprised that a medical Doctor of Ravi's standing could stay behind someone {even though it is his brother} that has knowing done so much harm. I agree with the other person that posted about the web site, doesn't seem as if Raj is very upset about this whole mess. As for the families that everyone is saying such bad things about , have you read the Moorefield paper. 700 pills this Doctor gave this person in less than a month and a half. Do the math, any Doctor who gives one person this much medicine should be sitting in jail right now!!!!

Moorefield Doctor Arrested for Illegally Dispensing Meds
Posted Friday, August 28, 2009 ; 12:20 PM | View Comments | Post Comment


This reportedly resulted in the death of at least one patient.

Story by Jessika Lewis
Email | Bio | Other Stories by Jessika Lewis

ELKINS -- A Moorefield doctor has been arrested for illegally dispensing prescription pills.

Dr. Rajan Bakhshish Masih faces charges that he allegedly distributed and dispensed 120 tablets of Hydromorphone and 50 doses of Diazepam to a person on February 20, 2009, resulting in the person's death.

He faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

Masih practices internal medicine and has been licensed by the West Virginia Board of Medicine since 1997.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Hagerstown, Maryland, Task Force, along with the United State's Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia is conducting an ongoing investigation into the allegations against Masih.

In March 2009, a task force officer obtained information on opiate overdoses in Mineral, Hampshire, rant, Hardy, Tucker and Pendleton Counties from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, according to the agent's affidavit.

Those records revealed 16 opiate drug overdose deaths in those counties from January 2007 through March 2009, the affidavit says.

After searching the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy's prescription log, the officer found that three of those sixteen deceased were Dr. Masih's patients.

One of those patients, with the initials R. T., died February 23, 2009, according to the affidavit, and the patient's autopsy report declared the cause of death to be "a result of combined hydromorphone and diazepam intoxication, without prescription access to pharmaceuticals. Contributing to death is bronchopneumonia."

The DEA agent took the paperwork to a doctor at Ruby Memorial who's opinion, according to the affidavit, was that Dr. Masih was prescribing "controlled substances not for legitimate purposes."

Masih is currently being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.

He'll have a preliminary hearing and detention hearing before Magistrate Judge John Kaull on September 1, 2009.

They need to get them!! Convict them..where do people think they get PRESCRIPTION drugs from in the beginning..from the doctor..and they just keep them coming back for more to get a drug that they know is addicting..they give it way too freely..for every little ache or pain..Just suck it up and take advil..that will help..no the docs give the strongest stuff you give..I will never get it..well, yea I do get it..It is all for money..Just pure greed!

I think you need to know what you are talking about before you go running your mouth. I am a nurse and I do work for a Dr. that treats chronic pain. Yes we do prescribe narcotics but all of our patients are monitored closely. Doctors and nurses can tell when most people are users. We do test that prove the patient has a medical condition to warrant these meds we do drug screens and pill counts at random. It is not the doctors fault that there are idiots out there how chose to sell their pills. I know that if we even hear of our patients selling their meds they are called in and we count their meds. If the correct number of pills is not there they are divorced from our practice. You see there is people who truly needs these meds because they have serious conditions and Advil doesn't work. How would you like to look in the face of the lady suffering with breast cancer and say we can no longer help you with your pain go home and take some advil. You wouldn't like it to much now would you? The system ain't perfect but nothing is but most doctors are watched by the FDA closely. So please don't judge when you are totally clueless.

The emotional ,low level writing does not bespeak a college education which nurses usually posess.

I have my BSN from Mountain State ******* which is probably more than you can say for yourself. I have also been in the medical field for nearly 20 years. I also have my EMT certificate and volunteer alot of my time in my community and NO it's not Pocahontas County.

Was someone comparing degrees, diplomas?The "You do not know what you are talking about" statement is rude , officious , and does not show adequate thought to a serious problem , which a person with good communication skills should master. .We should show a bit of politeness when answering a post with which we happen to disagree.A college educated person may be able to do this as one proof of their of degree. Many people ,not having a BSN , can nevertheless , show skill and good manners in speaking and writing.

Yea..I DO know what I am talking about..I am also a nurse!! I DO know that they give them too freely..yes people DO need narcotics..narcotics are wonderful for the ones that need them..and there are many..For cancer patients especially and I have seen alot..It doesn't matter about addiction at that point..it is about comfort and that is the way it should be..that is what i am trying to say..You have people out there that do whatever they want and complain about pain and get the pills from the doctor..You and I both know it happens..That IS how they get started and get them..doctors give LORTAB for EVERYTHING!! That is a fact! Dentist do too! Even people who have legit pain get hooked because of it..short term pain..they need to really look into this with the doctors..they have to have a script to get started and there are doctors who keep people coming for the money they can make..probably half the people on narcs don't need to be..you treat the initial pain and when they keep coming back and xrays, etc, are clear you send them to a pain clinic and stop the prescriptions. Just because someone says they are in pain doesn't justify the narcotic abuse..they need to be referred to a specialist if it continues..Not just keeping them on the addicting meds..

Actually..what does your credentials have to do with this..BSN, EMT?? We all have credentials and it doesn't change the facts!

seems you have already judged and convicted the man.

You seem to be the one who is clueless. When a doctor has patients traveling from 10 different counties to see him and are only getting "pain pills and nerve medication" there IS A PROBLEM.

How would you like it if you hurt chronicly, to the point that it wasn't even fun to get up and play with your children. When you love your job, but dread going in because of what you'll have to endure while you are there. When you are faced with the choice of having to quit something that you love doing the most, or take a narcotic that has been deemed "the great Satan" in the area, and become labeled as a "Pill Head".
To all of those involved with this stereo-typing of narcotic users, I hope that one day you are placed in the same situation as some of us are...furthermore, I hope that the doctor that you choose for treatment is so intimidated bye the thought of the public scrutiny that they may have to endure for prescribing these narcotics, that they refuse to prescribe them to YOU, and tell you to basically suck it up, and take some ibuprofen.
To all of those so unaware of the true benefit of these drugs, and also to those who are so wrecklessly slandering doctors for prescribing them.. consider this. There are people, who don't have cancer, and aren't terminally ill, who's quality of life has improved drasticly via narcotic therapy...and there are a lot of them who have gotten so tired of dealing with pain, that the fear of addiction to a drug is diminished, or that being addicted to something couldn't be any worse than what they are experiencing day in and day out.
Basically, what I'm getting at here, is that between the druggies, and the anti-druggies, doctors are afraid to prescribe narcotics even to those patients that need them . This is a crying shame considering the benefit that these drugs can offer those who need them. Why, do you think, do they manufacture them?
As for driving to another county..if you were in the same shoes as some of us are, you would probably be happy to drive THROUGH 10 counties, to be able to enjoy a better quality of life, and in a lot of cases, people do have to drive to another county to find a doctor who will treat them...because of gossip, threads, and posts, and newspaper articles as seen here, on this post.
Thanks guys, for making life so much easier for the rest of us

The only difference between some doctors and a drug pusher is one has a license and the other doesn't. They are both in it for the money and both are getting rich.

You would be surprised.