Here are six cases with drug charges involving physicians reported by Becker's since July 7:
1. Dapid Faraj, MD, Samer Youssef and Houda Bazzi — a physician, pharmacist and pharmacy technician, respectively — were charged for their alleged roles in a more than $7 million healthcare fraud scheme. From 2016 to 2021, the individuals allegedly wrote and filled unnecessary prescriptions to obtain expensive specialty drugs to resell at 100 percent profit.
2. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Arash Padidar, MD, was arrested and charged with illegally prescribing opioids to patients. He faces seven felony charges, including obtaining opioids by fraud, issuing prescriptions without a legitimate medical purpose, forging and issuing a prescription, unlawful use of personal information and conspiracy to commit a crime.
3. Four Tennessee physicians were convicted of conspiracy to prescribe controlled substances and related fraud and money laundering offenses. Evann Herrell, DO, Mark Grenkoski, MD, Keri McFarlane, MD, and Stephen Cirelli, MD, provided prescriptions for high doses and dangerous combinations of Suboxone and benzodiazepines to cash-paying customers.
4. Bowdoin Smith, DO, a Tennessee osteopath, was convicted of unlawfully distributing controlled substances, including opioids. In 2012, he had his medical license put on probation for three years for continuously prescribing greater amounts of controlled substances for his patients than were medically necessary. Once the probation was lifted, he continued to write unlawful prescriptions between 2016 and 2019.
5. Chicago physician Eliza Diaconescu, MD, was sentenced to prison for prescribing opioids to patients without an exam and then billing for the purported treatment. From 2016 to 2021, Dr. Diaconescu admitted she pre-signed prescriptions for hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl for patients to receive when she was not present at her Gurnee, Ill.-based pain clinic.
6. A Tarpon Springs, Fla.-based pain management clinic will close and its clinic's owners and its former physicians were fined for their alleged unlawful distribution of opioids. Vivian Herrero, MD, Christopher Ferguson and Patricia Ferguson allegedly prescribed and unlawfully distributed controlled substances without a medical purpose. Two patients died soon after receiving opioid prescriptions issued by Dr. Herrero.