A Washington, D.C., physician has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for illegally prescribing narcotics in exchange for cash, the Justice Department said in a June 26 news release.
What happened?
- From May 2021 to April 2023, Ndubuisi Joseph Okafor, MD, ran Okafor Medical Associates, an internal medicine clinic in Washington, D.C. The FBI began investigating after multiple law enforcement agencies linked his prescriptions to drug trafficking networks.
- Between February and November 2022, undercover agents and confidential sources posed as walk-in patients and were prescribed opioids following minimal exams.
- Investigators uncovered a nationwide scheme in which Dr. Okafor knowingly issued opioid prescriptions to individuals using false identities involving hundreds of thousands of doses of oxycodone and promethazine with codeine.
- On March 21, a jury convicted him of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice, maintaining drug-involved premises and 22 counts of unlawful distribution.
At the Becker's 23rd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference, taking place June 11-13 in Chicago, spine surgeons, orthopedic leaders and ASC executives will come together to explore minimally invasive techniques, ASC growth strategies and innovations shaping the future of outpatient spine care. Apply for complimentary registration now.
