SPRINGFIELD -- The terrifying story of Central Illinois dentist and drug addict Phillip M. Jensen is the stuff of a Hollywood horror story.
Jensen, 64, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who formerly had offices in Mattoon, Neoga and Effingham as well as Rochester, stole fentanyl anesthetic for his own recreational use.
He would then replace the stolen drug by topping off the drained vials with saline, according to the U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. The watered-down drugs were administered to patients, some of whom woke up in screaming agony while Jensen performed surgery on them.
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The disgraced dentist was punished with 15 years in prison for his crimes and testimony from the victims he harmed was heard during his sentencing hearing Dec. 18.
"The government presented the statement of a patient that awoke during her surgery," said a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Central District of Illinois.
"When Jensen realized she was awake, he struck the patient in the head with an instrument and completed the surgery, which involved the extraction of multiple teeth as well as the shaping and smoothing of the bones in her jaw, while she was conscious and lacking pain management."
Statements had been received from many victims, estimated to total some 99 in all, including a mother who said her sobbing child told her after surgery that she had "felt everything."
Jensen's last practice center had been in Rochester before his medical license was suspended in 2022. U.S. Attorney Harris said Jensen's conduct had first raised suspicions when office staff "began noticing patients who were moving, moaning and otherwise showing signs of pain and distress during surgery."
Jensen started practicing dentistry in Illinois in 1987 and had branched into offices in Mattoon, Neoga and later in Effingham. News reports said the Effingham office had closed in 2011 and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said Jensen's license had been suspended for six months that year for what it described as failure to "comply with the terms of a Care, Counseling and Treatment Agreement."
Before his Dec. 18 sentencing, Jensen had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of drug diversion and two counts of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud. He also admitted one count of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of making false statements relating to health care matters.
Jensen said his drug thefts from patients started as early as December 2019. He also admitted he had stolen at least half of the fentanyl in every vial in his practice.
In addition to prison, he was fined $200,000 and permanently deprived of his medical license. Passing sentence, U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless said he had been guilty of a massive breach of trust that had inflicted agony on his patients.
"If you cannot trust your doctor, who can you trust?" she asked the defendant.
A federal grand jury had returned an indictment against Jensen in February of 2022 and he had been released on bond. But a warrant had been issued in July of 2024 and he had been placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service after he was accused of stalking and harassing a potential witness in the case against him.
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Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid
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