Former Advanced Nurse Practitioner Sentenced to 26 Years for Illegally Prescribing Opioids Resulting in Three Overdose Deaths

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A former Eagle River advanced nurse practitioner was sentenced today to 26 years in prison following her guilty plea in which she admitted illegally prescribing and dispensing opioids and other drugs outside the scope of legitimate medical practice and thereby causing the overdose deaths of three of her patients.

According to court documents for over five years, Jessica Joyce Spayd, 55, operated what purported to be a legitimate clinic offering medical treatment for chronic pain and addiction. In reality, without legitimate medical purpose and outside the scope of professional medical practice, Spayd routinely prescribed staggeringly large quantities of highly addictive--and sometimes lethal--opioids and other drugs, often in notoriously dangerous combinations, to patients who relied on her for medical care. Ms. Spayd issued these prescriptions with little to no medical justification, treatment plans, testing, or physical examinations. Many of her patients were vulnerable and suffering from chronic pain, addiction, and mental illness. The defendant disregarded other medical considerations such as medical histories, risk factors, past overdoses, pregnancy, symptoms, and pleas to reduce or taper her dosages for her patients. She also ignored warnings from patients' family members, pharmacists, and other medical providers. Ms. Spayd also ignored thousands of warning letters sent by insurance companies about the dangers of her practices.

Spayd originally was convicted by a jury of multiple offenses, including causing five overdose deaths by illegal prescriptions for opioids and other drugs and maintaining a premises used for drug trafficking, and sentenced to a 30-year term of imprisonment, but that conviction and sentence were overturned because the presiding judge, now-former United States District Judge Joshua M. Kindred, erroneously failed to recuse himself from Spayd's case. After that occurred, Spayd entered into an agreement with the government to plead guilty to causing three overdose deaths. She was sentenced today based on that guilty plea.

"As a licensed professional and trusted member of the community, Ms. Spayd's actions are far more insidious than that of a street-level dealer," said Scott Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. "Ms. Spayd prescribed dangerous, and, at times deadly medications, to vulnerable Alaskans with callous disregard for the harm, including deaths, resulting from her criminal conduct. She used her license to inflict irreparable harm to her patients, who trusted her, their families, and the community. This sentence sends a clear message that this office and law enforcement partners will relentlessly investigate and prosecute these cases."

"Ms. Spayd was entrusted to save lives, but instead her reckless criminal conduct resulted in the deaths of three patients and contributed to at least 20 confirmed drug overdoses," said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seatle Field Division. "DEA will not tolerate medical professionals who exploit their licenses and positions of trust to operate as drug dealers. We will aggressively pursue those who abuse their prescribing authority, endanger patients, and fuel the opioid crisis. No medical license puts anyone above the law."

"Under the guise of a trusted healthcare professional, Ms. Spayd exploited her patients for profit and knowingly facilitated the abuse of opioids in our community," said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. "From the beginning of this investigation and now through sentencing, our focus remained the same - seeking justice for the victims and their families. This sentence not only reflects the seriousness of Ms. Spayd's destructive and lethal crimes, but also the FBI's commitment to justice and holding offenders accountable."

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case, with invaluable assistance from members of the North Slope Borough Police Department, the Alaska Health Care Fraud Task Force, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Office of Law Enforcement and Security, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Alaska State Parks Rangers, Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police Department, Alaska Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the State of Alaska Division of Insurance.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska has been recused from this case with the exception of certain personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Clymer from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York has been appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to assist with this and other recused cases. He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or U.S. Attorney Bradford in these cases. Special Attorney Clymer supervises personnel from the District of Alaska who have been exempted from the recusal.

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