In a case that shocked the Dallas medical community, Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz was sentenced to 190 years in federal prison for poisoning IV bags. His actions caused patients to suffer cardiac emergencies. This also led to the death of a fellow anesthesiologist, Dr. Melanie Kaspar.
Ortiz, a former anesthesiologist at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare North Dallas, was convicted in April on all 10 counts related to the tampering scheme.
Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz Convicted with Video Evidence
Ortiz was indicted in September 2022, but his sentencing was delayed three times before being finalized on Wednesday. He waived his right to appear in court, leaving victims and their families to deliver emotional impact statements directly to the judge.
Video evidence played a critical role in the trial, showing Ortiz placing IV bags into a warmer just minutes before nurses retrieved them for patient use.
These bags, prosecutors argued, acted as “poison bombs,” triggering cardiac emergencies when administered.
U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton condemned Ortiz’s actions, stating, “Dr. Ortiz cloaked himself in the white coat of a healer, but instead of curing pain, he inflicted it.”
