Thomas Radecki

Last updated

Thomas Radecki
Dr. Thomas Radecki, National Coalition on TV Violence.jpg
Radecki in 1985
Born1946 (age 7778)
NationalityAmerican
Occupationpsychiatrist
Known forCriminal activity, opposition to portrayals of violence

Thomas Edward Radecki (born 1946) [1] is an American former psychiatrist, founding member of the National Coalition on Television Violence, and convicted criminal. He is known for his controversial views on the effects of portrayals of violence on teens and his opposition to depictions of violence in any form. He was later convicted of abusing his position as a doctor to commit sexual offenses; he was accused of trading prescription of opioids in exchange for sex with female patients. He is serving an 11- to 22-year prison sentence.

Contents

Education

He attended Ohio State College of Medicine, class of 1973, [2] where he received his MD. His postgraduate education was done at the Philadelphia General Hospital and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. [1]

He received his Juris Doctor degree after studies at the Oklahoma City University School of Law (1995-1996), and the Southern Illinois University School of Law (1996-1998).

Career

He was licensed to practice as a doctor in West Virginia (1977-1979) and Kentucky. [1]

In 1985 Radecki cited a fictitious letter written by a character in the novel Mazes and Monsters as "proof" that the game Dungeons & Dragons had caused the death of gamers. [3] Radecki said in 1987 that "There is no doubt in my mind that the game Dungeons and Dragons is causing young men to kill themselves and others." [4] In 1987 he testified as an expert on the effects of Dungeons & Dragons on behalf of Darren Molitor (convicted of murder in 1985) at an appeal, along with Patricia Pulling. The court rejected his testimony. [5] He also testified in at least 12 other cases, all unsuccessfully.[ citation needed ]

It later emerged that his claims of being on the faculty of the University of Illinois College of Medicine were based solely in being listed as "clinical faculty" (signifying that he was accredited to practice at a teaching hospital). He continued to claim this faculty status for years after accreditation was removed in 1985. [6]

In March 1992, the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation revoked his medical license for a five-year minimum as a result of "allegations of inappropriate sexual activity by Dr. Radecki with one of his female patients.". [7]

Radecki resigned from NCTV, turning it over to a colleague, Carole Lieberman. His request for early reinstatement of his license was rejected, following complaints about his Surrogate Parenting Institute, a fertility clinic. His license was restored in 2002, [8] and he was placed on probation, which ended in 2008. [9]

He was also research director for the International Coalition Against Violent Entertainment, which published a 1988 study of films and the level of violence therein, [10] as well as a board member of the Parents Music Resource Center. [11]

He has advocated for the use of Tramadol as a replacement of Suboxone. [12]

In September 2012, Radecki voluntarily surrendered his Pennsylvania medical license while facing allegations of unprofessional conduct with patients. These allegations included that Radecki traded drugs to patients for sex. [13]

In August 2013, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced Radecki's arrest for over-prescribing, trading opioid-addiction treatment drugs for sex [14] through a program he ran in several counties called "Doctors & Lawyers for a Drug Free Youth". [15] In June 2016, he was sentenced to an 11- to 22-year prison term as a result of the case. [16] In February 2018, a judge rejected a request that his sentence be reduced because of his age and because of what Radecki claimed was improperly introduced evidence in his case. [15]

Articles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Dutroux</span> Belgian serial killer

Marc Paul Alain Dutroux is a Belgian convicted serial killer, serial rapist, and child molester. Initially convicted for the abduction and rape of five young girls in 1989, Dutroux was released on parole after just three years' imprisonment. He was arrested again in 1996 on suspicion of having abducted, tortured, and sexually abused six girls aged between 8 and 19, four of whom were killed. Dutroux's widely publicized trial ended with his conviction on all charges in 2004; he was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tramadol</span> Medication of the opioid type, patented 1972

Tramadol, sold under the brand name Ultram among others, is an opioid pain medication and a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) used to treat moderately severe pain. When taken by mouth in an immediate-release formulation, the onset of pain relief usually begins within an hour. It is also available by injection. It is available in combination with paracetamol (acetaminophen).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opioid</span> Psychoactive chemical

Opioids are a class of drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the opium poppy plant. Opioids work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief. As a class of substances, they act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driving under the influence</span> Driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of an impairing substance

Driving under the influence (DUI) is the offense of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs, to a level that renders the driver incapable of operating a motor vehicle safely. Multiple other terms are used for the offense in various jurisdictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pethidine</span> Opioid analgesic

Pethidine, also known as meperidine and sold under the brand name Demerol among others, is a fully synthetic opioid pain medication of the phenylpiperidine class. Synthesized in 1938 as a potential anticholinergic agent by the German chemist Otto Eisleb, its analgesic properties were first recognized by Otto Schaumann while working for IG Farben, in Germany. Pethidine is the prototype of a large family of analgesics including the pethidine 4-phenylpiperidines, the prodines, bemidones and others more distant, including diphenoxylate and analogues.

Patricia A. Pulling was an anti-occult campaigner from Richmond, Virginia. She founded Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD), an advocacy group that was dedicated to the regulation of role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gangster Disciples</span> American Street Gang

The Gangster Disciple Nation, also known as Growth & Development, is an African American street and prison gang which was formed in 1968 by Larry Hoover and David Barksdale. The two rival gangsters united together to form the Black Gangster Disciple Nation (BGDN). Since 1989, after a decline in leadership caused friction between the two gangs, the BGDN has divided into different factions known today as the Gangster Disciple Nation and the other being the Black Disciple Nation.

Abdol Hamid Ghodse CBE was an academic in the field of substance abuse and addiction.

William E. Hurwitz, M.D., is a former Virginia-based pain management physician who was prosecuted and convicted by the United States Government in 2004 for excessively prescribing addictive opioid pain medication to patients, some of whom subsequently abused and redistributed their medications on the black market. Before his conviction, Hurwitz had a series of running battles with the Virginia Board of Medicine which, in 2003 found fault with some of his prescriptions but also held that all were written "in good faith", some consider his action heroic, and action considering what the patient has, and what the risks are, his action are part of debates in medical schools today.

Anti-abortion violence is violence committed against individuals and organizations that perform abortions or provide abortion counseling. Incidents of violence have included destruction of property, including vandalism; crimes against people, including kidnapping, stalking, assault, attempted murder, and murder; and crimes affecting both people and property, as well as arson and terrorism, such as bombings.

Richard Paey is a man from the U.S. state of Florida who was falsely incarcerated in 2004 for drug trafficking. There was no evidence he ever distributed or intended to sell any pills, but drug laws in many states, including Florida, allow officials to prosecute for trafficking based solely on the quantity an individual possesses. Paey spent three and a half years in prison, until he was granted a full pardon by Florida Governor Charlie Crist in September 2007.

<i>Mazes and Monsters</i> (novel) 1981 novel by Rona Jaffe

Mazes and Monsters is a 1981 novel by Rona Jaffe. The novel is a cautionary tale regarding the then-new hobby of fantasy role-playing games. The book was adapted into a made-for-television movie by the same name in 1982 starring Tom Hanks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Swango</span> American serial killer

Michael Joseph Swango is an American serial killer and physician who is estimated to have been involved in as many as 60 fatal poisonings of patients and colleagues, although he admitted to only causing four deaths. He was sentenced in 2000 to three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole and is serving his sentence at ADX Florence at his own request.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapentadol</span> Opioid analgesic of benzenoid class

Tapentadol, brand names Nucynta among others, is a centrally acting opioid analgesic of the benzenoid class with a dual mode of action as an agonist of the μ-opioid receptor and as a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (NRI). Analgesia occurs within 32 minutes of oral administration, and lasts for 4–6 hours.

An equianalgesic chart is a conversion chart that lists equivalent doses of analgesics. Equianalgesic charts are used for calculation of an equivalent dose between different analgesics. Tables of this general type are also available for NSAIDs, benzodiazepines, depressants, stimulants, anticholinergics and others.

Aubrey Levin is a South African-born Canadian psychiatrist and former Colonel in the South African Defence Force who used abusive procedures on homosexual army conscripts and conscientious objectors in an attempt to cure them of suspected same-sex attraction in apartheid era South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kapoor</span> Indian-American business man and convicted felon

John Nath Kapoor is an American convicted felon, multi-millionaire, pharmaceutical entrepreneur, former CEO of Insys Therapeutics, and majority shareholder in the generic drug manufacturing company Akorn. In the fall of 2017, Kapoor was arrested and charged with numerous felony counts including RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and other crimes. He was found guilty on all counts, and those convictions were upheld on appeal.

Involuntary commitment or civil commitment is a legal process through which an individual who is deemed by a qualified agent to have symptoms of severe mental disorder is detained in a psychiatric hospital (inpatient) where they can be treated involuntarily.

Founded in 1990, Insys Therapeutics was an American specialty pharmaceutical company based in Chandler, Arizona. Its main product was Subsys, a sublingual liquid form of the drug fentanyl. Fentanyl is an extremely fast-acting and powerful opioid used to relieve peaks of pain in cancer patients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Nealy Cox</span> American attorney (born 1970)

Erin Nealy Cox is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas from 2017 to 2021. She was nominated to the position by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2017. After the 2020 election, she resigned effective January 9, 2021, and joined Kirkland & Ellis as a partner on June 23, 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "West Virginia Board of Medicine Licensee Search". Archived from the original on 28 January 2015.
  2. "Thomas E Radecki, MD". Vitals.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  3. Hicks, Robert D. In Pursuit of Satan: The Police and the Occult Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1991; p. 288
  4. Witwer, Michael (2015). Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 150. ISBN   9781632862044.
  5. "FindACase - 03/31/87 State Missouri v. Darren Molitor". mo.findacase.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  6. Joseph Laycock (12 February 2015). Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic Over Role-Playing Games Says about Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds. Univ of California Press. p. 135. ISBN   978-0-520-28491-3.
  7. "Down the Tubes". Entertainment Weekly. No. 150–151. 25 December 1992. Archived from the original on 7 June 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2022.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. Tony Sanders (May 2002). "Illinois Department of Professional Regulation Disciplinary Report for May 2002" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012. Thomas E. Radecki, Decatur – medical (036-059814) and controlled substance licenses restored and placed on indefinite probation.
  9. "Information found on: Thomas E Radecki MD, 36059814, Clarion, PA". State of Illinois : Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  10. Rose Dyson. "Violence In The Media". Peace Magazine . 5 (Dec 1989–Jan 1990, number 6): 12. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  11. "Radecki, Thomas". The Gaming Advocacy Encyclopedia. The Escapist. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  12. Brunk, Doug (February 2008). "Tramadol appears to stem abuse of opiates". Clinical Psychiatry News. Coronado, Calif. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  13. "Local doctor accused of exchanging drugs for sex permanently surrenders medical license". WJAC. 27 September 2012. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  14. "Attorney General Kane announces arrest of Pa. psychiatrist for over-prescribing, trading opioid-addiction treatment drugs for sex". Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  15. 1 2 Miller, Matt (22 February 2018). "Psychiatrist convicted in drugs-for-sex scheme isn't too old for prison, Pa. court says". pennlive. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  16. Weidenboerner, Katie. "Clarion doctor sentenced to over one decade in prison for cash & sex for scripts scheme". thecourierexpress.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2016.