Doctor pleads guilty to manslaughter in overdose deaths

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The Associated Press

A doctor who ran a clinic in Flushing has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges in the prescription drug overdose deaths of three patients.

New York City's special narcotics prosecutor announced that Lawrence Choy pleaded guilty on Tuesday to 34 felony counts including two counts of second-degree manslaughter.

Prosecutors said Choy issued prescriptions for dangerous levels of narcotics including the painkiller oxycodone in high-risk combinations with other controlled substances. They say patients came from as far away as Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Three patients died between 2013 and 2016.

Authorities say Choy abandoned his practice while he was under investigation and moved to Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He was arrested there last year.

Choy will be sentenced on Sept. 10. He is expected to be sentenced to seven years in prison.