Gosnell sentenced to 30 more years for writing illegal prescriptions

Kermit Gosnell, currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole, has been sentenced to 30 years for running a “pill mill” out of his West Philadelphia abortion clinic.

The U.S Attorney in Philadelphia had accused Gosnell of giving out fraudulent prescriptions for thousands of OxyContin, Percocet and Xanax pills, sometimes without performing even a cursory exam.

The sentencing Monday afternoon effectively closes the book on Gosnell, who was found guilty last May of three counts of murder.

Gosnell was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of seven babies.

The protracted “House of Horrors” trial was set in motion by a federal drug raid in February 2010. It was FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency officials who first alerted local authorities to the gruesome crimes committed at Gosnell’s 3801 Lancaster Avenue clinic.

In June, Gosnell rejected a plea deal on the federal drug charges. The deal would have added 20 years to his sentence. Then in July, after the murder trial, he pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors say he allowed addicts and dealers to fill prescriptions that were often sold or traded on the street.

Gosnell said in lengthy remarks Monday that he was only trying to help addicts through his novel treatment program.

But U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe says he did more harm than good in the neighborhood.

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NewsWorks staff and the Associated Press contributed to this report.