[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 65 (Friday, April 4, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16190-16191]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8559]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Abbas Helim Demetrios, M.D.; Revocation of Registration

    On June 24, 1996, the Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of 
Diversion Control, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued an 
Order to Show Cause to Abbas Helim Demetrios, M.D., notifying him of an 
opportunity to show cause as to why DEA should not revoke his DEA 
Certificate of Registration BD1248029, and deny any pending requests 
for modification of such registration to change the registered address 
from California to Georgia, pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 823(f) and 824(a)(3), 
for reason that he is not currently authorized to handle controlled 
substances in the States of California and Georgia. The order also 
notified Dr. Demetrios that should no request for a hearing be filed 
within 30 days, his hearing right would be deemed waived.
    The DEA received a signed receipt indicating that the order was 
received on July 1, 1996. No request for a hearing

[[Page 16191]]

or any other reply was received by the DEA from Dr. Demetrios or anyone 
purporting to represent him in this matter. Therefore, the Acting 
Deputy Administrator, finding that: (1) Thirty days have passed since 
the receipt of the Order to Show Cause, and (2) no request for a 
hearing having been received, concludes that Dr. Demetrios is deemed to 
have waived his hearing right. After considering the relevant material 
from the investigative file in this matter, the Acting Deputy 
Administrator now enters his final order without a hearing pursuant to 
21 CFR 1301.54(e) and 1301.57.
    The Acting Deputy Administrator finds that Dr. Demetrios is 
currently registered with DEA in the State of California. On June 3, 
1993, he submitted a renewal application for his DEA registration 
indicating that he wanted to change the address to a location in 
Cumming, Georgia.
    The Acting Deputy Administrator further finds that on December 6, 
1993, the Composite State Board of Medical Examiners for the State of 
Georgia (Georgia Board) ordered the summary suspension of Dr. 
Demetrios' license to practice medicine in the State of Georgia ``based 
upon (his) repeated pattern of inappropriate sexual conduct with his 
patients.'' Subsequently, on October 5, 1994, the Georgia Board 
accepted the voluntary surrender of Dr. Demetrios' Georgia medical 
license. Thereafter, on May 30, 1995, the Medical Board of California 
(California Board) filed an Accusation proposing to revoke Dr. 
Demetrios' license to practice medicine in the State of California 
based upon the action of the Georgia Board, as well as Dr. Demetrios' 
conviction in a Georgia state court on charges of rape, battery, 
aggravated sexual battery, simple battery, sexual battery, and sexual 
assault by a practitioner of psychotherapy against a patient. On April 
3, 1996, the California Board entered a Default Decision revoking Dr. 
Demetrios' California medical license effective May 3, 1996. The Acting 
Deputy Administrator concludes that Dr. Demetrios is not currently 
authorized to handle controlled substances in the State of California, 
where he is currently registered with DEA, nor in the State of Georgia, 
where he is requesting modification of his DEA registration.
    The DEA does not have statutory authority under the Controlled 
Substances Act to issue or maintain a registration if the applicant or 
registrant is without state authority to handle controlled substances 
in the state in which he conducts his business. 21 U.S.C. 802(21), 
823(f), and 824(a)(3). This prerequisite has been consistently upheld. 
See Dominick A. Ricci, M.D., 58 FR 51,104 (1993); James H. Nickens, 
M.D. 57 FR 59,847 (1992); Roy E. Hardman, M.D., 57 FR 49,195 (1992). 
Here, it is clear that Dr. Demetrios is neither currently authorized to 
practice medicine nor to dispense controlled substances in the States 
of Georgia and California. Therefore, he is not entitled to a DEA 
registration in either state.
    Accordingly, the Acting Deputy Administrator of the Drug 
Enforcement Administration, pursuant to the authority vested in him by 
21 U.S.C. 823 and 824 and 28 CFR 0.100(b) and 0.104, hereby orders that 
DEA Certificate of Registration, BD1248029, previously issued to Abbas 
Helim Demetrios, M.D., be, and it hereby is, revoked. The Acting Deputy 
Administrator further orders that any pending requests for renewal and/
or modification of such registration, be, and they hereby are, denied. 
This order is effective May 5, 1997.

    Dated: March 24, 1997.
James S. Milford,
Acting Deputy Adminstrator.
[FR Doc. 97-8559 Filed 4-3-97; 8:45 am]
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