Doctor admits illegally dispensing drugs

BENTON, Ill. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a southern Illinois doctor has agreed to surrender his medical license after admitting he illegally dispensed methadone, tampered with a witness and obstructed justice.

Fifty-six-year-old Sukhdarshan Bedi of Energy entered the pleas Wednesday in federal court in Benton. His three clinics pleaded guilty to charges of health-care fraud and conspiracy to illegally dispense a controlled substance.

Although it is best known as a prescription drug that curbs heroin addiction, methadone increasingly has been prescribed as a pain medication.

The U.S. government also says Bedi agreed to pay nearly $48,000 in restitution to a program administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.