Duane Dixon, a former Roanoke, Va., physician, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for healthcare fraud and illegal opioid prescribing, the Justice Department said in a June 11 news release.
What happened?
- Mr. Dixon pleaded guilty in 2023 to distributing opioids without medical purpose and ignoring fraud at clinics operated by L5 Medical Holdings — Pain Care Center
- He was sentenced to prison, fined $35,000, ordered to pay $200,000, and agreed to permanently surrender his medical licenses.
- He admitted to pre-signing blank prescriptions used by staff to give Schedule II opioids to unqualified patients. He also allowed unlicensed providers to use his DEA number to prescribe Suboxone.
Who else is involved?
- Former L5 physician Wendell Randall received 18 months in March 2024. Dixon admitted Randall wrote unjustified prescriptions. Five others, including Charles Adams Jr. and Debra Shaffer, have also been convicted in the case.
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