L.A. doctor sentenced after victims die from pain drugs

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles-area doctor convicted of second-degree murder for prescribing pain killers that killed three patients was sentenced today to 30 years to life in prison in a landmark case that many in the medical community believe will create a chilling effect among physicians across the country.

The lengthy prison term was given to Dr. Hsiu-Ying "Lisa" Tseng after she apologized to the families of her dead patients and others who became addicted to prescription drugs under her care.

"I suffer every day from the impact, and I will do everything I can to take responsibility," she said. "I have learned a very hard lesson on this that will stay with me forever."

That did little to sway Judge George Lomeli of Los Angeles County Superior Court, who said Tseng wrote reckless prescriptions even after learning her patients were dying.

"[She's] a person who seemingly did not care about the lives of her patients in this case but rather appeared more concerned about distributing dangerous controlled substances in an assembly-line fashion so as to collect payments which amounted to her amassing several million dollars," Judge Lomeli said.

The mother of two children, 8 and 11, will be older than 70 before she has a chance at release. She had asked Judge Lomeli for a 15-year prison term.