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A Bethesda doctor was found guilty of possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia by a District Court judge late yesterday.

A representative for the state Board of Physicians, however, did not rule out the possibility that Greenberg could practice medicine again in Maryland.

Judge Gary Everngam found Dr. Eric Greenberg guilty on one count of cocaine possession and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia yesterday and sentenced him to eight days of time already served in prison, plus a one-year suspended sentence and a $1,500 suspended fine.

He also received 18 months of supervised probation, according to Emily White, a spokeswoman for Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy's office, which prosecuted the case. The maximum sentence for Greenberg would have been four years in prison or a $26,000 fine or both.

Greenberg, 43, an internist, was arrested April 1 at his home office in the 9300 block of Old Georgetown Road along with his wife, Jaquenette Fischman, 46, who was also charged with one count of cocaine possession and two counts of drug paraphernalia possession.

Fischman agreed to drug treatment in lieu of prosecution on Tuesday in District Court in Rockville, according to States Attorney spokesman Seth Zucker. If she had been found guilty of the charges, she would have faced the same maximum penalty as Greenberg.

An investigation into Greenberg's activities by the county police's Drug Investigation Unit and the Drug Enforcement Agency was initially prompted by neighbors' complaints.

Greenberg's license to practice medicine was suspended indefinitely by the Maryland Board of Physicians on April 16. He had been placed on probation by the Board of Physicians twice since 2006, including a three-year probationary period in 2007 for providing a controlled substance to a family member. He was also placed on probation in 2006 for "failing to submit to an appropriate examination" as part of a board investigation.

Board records concerning Greenberg included multiple complaints from patients for poor personal hygiene, disheveled appearance and tendency to mumble and nod off while with patients and other doctors.

Jill Porter, a policy analyst for the Board of Physicians, said the board's current penalty was "as harsh as it gets" for someone in Greenberg's position. She called the reinstatement of his medical license "highly unlikely" but that the board has a "never say never" policy about such cases.

"He would really have to make a good case for himself in this instance because he put people at risk," Porter said.

Greenberg is a 1993 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

According to court records, Greenberg is scheduled for two additional criminal trials in District Court in the next two months. He faces an Aug. 11 trial for two counts of second-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, one count of disorderly conduct, one count of malicious destruction of property worth over $500, and one count of resisting arrest stemming from a June 24 incident.

Greenberg is also scheduled to go to trial in District Court on Sept. 10 for second-degree assault for a June 23 incident.