Springfield, IL  (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Phillip M. Jensen, 63, of Rochester pleaded guilty Friday and admitted he stole fentanyl intended for his patient’s pain management during surgery. Jensen owned an oral and maxillofacial surgery practice in Springfield.

Starting as early as December 2019 and continuing through at least August 2020, Jensen reportedly took fentanyl he received, removed the safety caps, withdrew at least half of the fentanyl in the single-use vial, refilled the vial with saline, and glued the caps back on to hide what he had done. In total, Jensen obtained more than 40 grams of fentanyl for his personal use.

According to Jensen, the situation came to light after his surgical assistants noticed patients moaning and moving and saw changes in patients’ blood pressure and heart rates that indicated that they were in pain during the surgery.

One patient, according to court documents, woke during surgery and was struck in the forehead by Jensen, enduring the extraction of three additional teeth and smoothing of her jawbone, all without the benefit of anesthesia and the fentanyl that was supposed to control her pain.

Two counts against Jensen charged he made materially false entries into two patients’ medical records regarding the fentanyl provided for surgeries and paid for by Molina Healthcare of Illinois. Molina paid Jensen a total of $13,137 for the two procedures.

Specifically, Jensen pleaded guilty to two counts of drug diversion, two counts of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, one count of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury, and two counts of false statements relating to health care matters.

A federal grand jury returned a twenty-count indictment against Jensen in February 2022. He was originally released on bond, but a warrant was issued in July 2024 for violation of the terms and conditions of bond and the conditions of his pre-trial release, and Jensen was detained at that time. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service pending sentencing on December 4.

Since Jensen may be ordered to serve the sentences consecutively, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 78 years in prison, up to a $1,750,000 fine, and up to 21 years of supervised release.