Doctors Have Been Prosecuted for Endangering Their Patients With Black Market Medicine
Between 2012 and 2017, the FDA warned more than 3,000 medical practices to stop buying medicines from unlicensed foreign wholesalers who had been caught selling counterfeit drugs. Patients who encounter these drugs go under-treated and untreated, which can be catastrophic; at worst, they may be poisoned.
Buying non-FDA approved drugs can be catastrophic for medical practices, too. Since 2005 and mid-2018, 59 doctors were prosecuted for crimes related to purchasing non-FDA approved medications, treating patients with illegally imported drugs, and/or fraudulently billing Medicare and private insurance as if they had purchased these drugs legally and at full price. 57 of those prosecuted were fined a combined total of $37.5 million. 16 received prison sentences.
Learn More About Doctors' Prosecutions
View larger map A Kentucky obstetrician/gynecologist, Dr. James Buck, has been sentenced to one year of probation and required to pay over $18,000 in fines after he pled guilty (Download James Buck Plea Agreement) to one misdemeanor count of drug misbranding. Dr. Buck was accused of purchasing unapproved foreign “Mirena” IUDs via a so-called Canadian online pharmacy and then passing them off as FDA-approved devices. Who: Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control, Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation (FDA-OCI) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). When: August 12, 2013, April 2008-May 2009. Where:Grayson County,…
View larger map A La Jolla oncologist, Doctor Joel I. Bernstein, has pled guilty to charges he purchased unapproved foreign cancer medications and defrauded Medicare by claiming credit for the drugs as if they were genuine. On Tuesday July 2nd, Bernstein was sentenced to one year of probation, and required to pay over $2 million in fines and penalties for the false claims made against Medicare. Bernstein admitted that he administered drugs that were not FDA approved to patients. Who: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigation (FDA-OCI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Department of Justice…
A second Johnson City doctor was charged with purchasing misbranded cancer drugs just days after Dr. William Kincaid was sentenced to 2 years for his role in purchasing & administering questionable cancer medication from non-FDA approved foreign suppliers. According to the indictment (Download Sen Indictment) released on June 11, 2013 by the U.S. District Court in Greeneville, TN, Dr. Anindya Kumar Sen and his office manager and wife, Patricia Posey Sen, owners of the East Tennessee Cancer and Blood Centers were indicted on 37 charges, including the introduction of misbranded and unapproved drugs into interstate commerce, and Medicaid fraud. Dr. Sen and…
A Kentucky doctor is facing numerous charges including Medicare fraud for purchasing misbranded IUD contraceptive devices from a pair of fake online pharmacies and dispensing them to unsuspecting patients. Canh Jeff Vo, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky was charged with 13 counts including illegal drug importation, Medicaid fraud, health care fraud and mail fraud for deceiving his patients with unapproved IUDs purchased from two different fake Internet pharmacies, according to the Indictment (Download Canh Jeff Vo Indictment) filed on March 20, 2013 in US District Court in Western Kentucky. Vo is a licensed physician in Kentucky who owns and operates Bluegrass Women’s Healthcare…
View larger map On June 10, 2013, Dr. William Kincaid of Johnson City, Tennessee was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in purchasing misbranded and possibly counterfeit cancer drugs. Kincaid was a physician and managing partner for McLeod Cancer and Blood Center of Johnson City, Tennessee. The clinic was set up to provide care for those with cancer and blood disorders. Kincaid was convicted of receiving misbranded drugs with intent to defraud or mislead in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. Once the misbranded drugs were purchased, he then sought reimbursement through the Medicare and…
Fake Medications in Medical Offices
In the past two years, fake doctors were convicted of vitally
endangering the lives of patients who submitted to counterfeit treatments. Patients can keep themselves safe from fake doctors by checking the validity of their physician’s license with the state medical board. But patients can’t use proof of a valid physician’s license to protect themselves when real doctors administer fake medications. In the same time period, while two fake doctors were convicted of administering fake drugs to patients, three real doctors were convicted of the same crime.
Fake doctor who caused “infliction of great bodily injury” to patients with fake medicine was convicted in San Diego, after they filed complaints with the California Medical Board.
The
Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Kathleen Ann Helms, also known as
Catherine Bright-Helms, age 57, of Encinitas, CA in August, 2012. She was charged with practicing medicine
without a license, “which resulted in the infliction of great bodily injury and
grand theft,” announced the FBI.
US
Department of Justice convicts two in cases tying counterfeit cancer drugs
to Canadian pharmacy business.
On
November 15th, Dr. William Kincaid, of Johnson City, TN, was convicted for
knowingly purchasing non-FDA approved injectable cancer medications from
Quality Specialty Products (QSP). Dr. Kincaid accepted a plea deal with the
federal government in exchange for assisting them with their ongoing
investigation. Previously, Dr. Kincaid’s business manager, Michael Dean Combs
pled guilty in the same case on September 19th, reports
Knox News.
View larger map The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Kathleen Ann Helms, also known as Catherine Bright-Helms, age 57, of Encinitas, CA in August, 2012. She was charged with practicing medicine without a license, “which resulted in the infliction of great bodily injury and grand theft,” announced the FBI. She operated an unlicensed clinic called BrightHouse Wellness in Encinitas, CA and diagnosed patients as having Lyme Disease, then administered unapproved and dangerous intravenous treatments. Who: Medical Board of California’s Operation Safe Medicine, FBI. When: October 19, 2012; April-August, 2012. Where: San Diego, CA, United States. How: FBI began its investigation…
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