Bergen County Doctor Permanently Stripped of Medical License Amid Federal and State Convictions
Dr. Robert Delagente, once a family practitioner in Oakland, NJ, is barred for life from practicing medicine after being sentenced to six years in federal prison for illegally distributing opioids and falsifying medical records.
The State Board of Medical Examiners has permanently revoked the medical license of Dr. Robert Delagente, a Bergen County physician currently serving a six-year federal prison sentence for illegally prescribing opioids and other controlled substances without legitimate medical justification. The revocation, announced by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs, formally ends Delagente’s ability to practice medicine in New Jersey and prohibits him from ever reapplying for licensure.
Dr. Delagente operated North Jersey Family Medicine (NJFM) in Oakland, New Jersey, until June 2019, when his license was temporarily suspended following his arrest by federal authorities. In 2022, he pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple felony charges, including conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substances (CDS), illegal distribution of CDS, and obstruction of justice by altering medical records.
“New Jersey is still struggling to address the long-term effects of an addiction crisis fueled by the unchecked flow of prescription opioids into our communities,” said Attorney General Platkin. “There is no doubt that Robert Delagente belongs behind bars for his role in keeping the scourge of addiction alive in our state. The action we’re announcing today holds him accountable for betraying his professional oath by recklessly prescribing highly addictive opioid medications that surely helped destroy the lives of countless individuals.”
The investigation, conducted jointly by the FBI and the New Jersey Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP), found that from May 2014 onward, Delagente issued prescriptions for highly addictive opioids—such as oxycodone and Percocet—and benzodiazepines, including alprazolam and clonazepam, outside the bounds of legitimate medical practice. Investigators determined that Delagente failed to conduct proper examinations, ignored patient risk factors, and, at times, did not see patients at all before issuing prescriptions. He later altered patient records to falsely justify these actions when under investigation.
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