[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 17, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54822-54848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19595]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Drug Enforcement Administration

[Docket No. 16-14]


Lawrence E. Stewart, M.D.; Decision and Order

    On June 1, 2016, Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Charles Wm. Dorman 
issued the attached Recommended Decision. Therein, the ALJ found that 
on multiple occasions, Respondent issued prescriptions outside of the 
usual course of professional practice and which lacked a legitimate 
medical purpose for schedule II controlled substances such as Norco 10/
325mg (hydrocodone/acetaminophen) and Hycodan (hydrocodone/homatropine 
cough syrup),\1\ the schedule III controlled substance phentermine, and 
the schedule IV controlled substance alprazolam, in violation of 21 CFR 
1306.04(a). See R.D. at 34-60.\2\
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    \1\ Effective October 6, 2014, combination hydrocodone products 
including both Norco and Hycodan were transferred from schedule III 
to schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act. See Schedules of 
Controlled Substances: Rescheduling of Hydrocodone Combination 
Products from Schedule III to Schedule II, 79 FR 49661. Thus, at the 
time Respondent issued some of the Norco and Hycodan prescriptions, 
the drug was a schedule III controlled substance. This, however, has 
no consequence for my decision.
    \2\ All citations to the Recommended Decision are to the slip 
opinion as issued by the ALJ.
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    More specifically, the evidence showed that Respondent prescribed 
the controlled substances to his girlfriend knowing that she was 
seeking the drugs to abuse them. The evidence also showed that while 
some of the prescriptions were issued in the name of Respondent's 
girlfriend, in multiple instances, Respondent issued prescriptions, 
including multiple prescriptions for Hycodan, listing his girlfriend's 
two children, who were then three and five years old respectively, as 
the patients, and that Respondent did so knowing that his girlfriend 
intended to use the cough syrup because she enjoyed drinking it. The 
evidence further showed that on multiple occasions, Respondent issued 
prescriptions for Norco \3\ to undercover agents who posed as 
acquaintances of his girlfriend, knowing that the drugs would then be 
provided to his girlfriend and that Respondent further instructed his 
girlfriend as to how her purported acquaintances should present as 
having headaches so that he could document a reason in the their charts 
for having issued the prescriptions.
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    \3\ The evidence also showed that at one of the undercover 
agent's visits, Respondent also gave her a prescription for Hycodan 
cough syrup.
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    The ALJ also found that on multiple occasions, Respondent violated 
Rule 1.4 of the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure's Rules by 
failing to document in his girlfriend's chart the diagnosis or 
justification for issuing the prescription, as well as required 
information including the drug's name, the dose, strength and quantity. 
R.D. at 37-39 (citing Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.4; also citing 
id. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.16; Miss. Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13)). 
The ALJ also made a similar finding with respect to four hydrocodone 
cough syrup prescriptions Respondent issued in the names of his 
girlfriend's children. R.D. at 46-47 (Rx's issued on 6/17/14, 7/23/14, 
11/19/14); id. at 49 (Rx 11/3/14).
    With respect to the phentermine prescriptions Respondent issued to 
his girlfriend, the ALJ found that he ``completely failed to comply'' 
with the Board's Rule 1.5 because he did not prescribe ``adjunctively 
with caloric restriction,'' ``never conducted and recorded an initial 
comprehensive evaluation'' including ``a thorough patient history or 
physical examination,'' and never recorded required histories, nor her 
height, weight, BMI, body measurements, and vital signs. R.D. 43. The 
ALJ also found that Respondent did not conduct a re-evaluation of his 
girlfriend every 30 days as required by Rule 1.5. Id. Finally, noting 
that Rule 1.5 generally requires that the patient have a BMI greater 
than 30 in order to justify prescribing phentermine, the ALJ observed 
that Respondent's girlfriend testified that she had gone from 135 to 
121 pounds and that she presented at the hearing ``with a slender body 
type.'' Id. The ALJ thus explained that ``[a]fter observing [her] 
appearance,'' he found ``it difficult to comprehend . . . how 
Respondent could have possibly believed that [she] has a high enough 
BMI to justify'' prescribing weight-loss medication. Id. The ALJ thus 
found that Respondent violated 21 CFR 1306.04(a), the Board's Rule 1.5, 
and Mississippi Code sections 73-25-29(3) and (13) when he prescribed 
phentermine to his girlfriend. Id. at 44.
    Based on these findings, the ALJ concluded that Respondent had 
engaged in ``an egregious level of intentional diversion'' and that the 
Government had satisfied its prima facie burden of showing that 
``Respondent's continued registration would be inconsistent with the 
public interest.'' R.D. at 61. Because ``Respondent offered no evidence 
that he accepted responsibility for his misconduct or reformed his 
ways,'' the ALJ found that he ``failed to rebut the Government's prima 
facie case.'' Id. The ALJ thus recommended that I revoke Respondent's 
registration and deny any application to renew or modify his 
registration. Id.
    Respondent filed Exceptions to the ALJ's Recommended Decision. 
Thereafter, the ALJ forwarded the record to me for Final Agency Action.
    Having considered the record in its entirety, including 
Respondent's Exceptions, I have decided to adopt the ALJ findings of 
fact, conclusions of law, and recommended Order. However, before I 
address Respondent's Exceptions, I deem it necessary to address the 
ALJ's ruling on the admissibility of the FDA package insert for Hycodan 
(GX 4).
    On motion of Respondent's counsel, the ALJ ruled inadmissible 
Government Exhibit 4, which the Government represented was the FDA 
package insert for Hycodan.\4\ Tr. 422, 427. The basis of Respondent's 
objection was that the exhibit contains ``little more than 
generalizations and medical opinions'' and that the ALJ's prehearing 
statement required the parties to disclose ``the names and credentials 
and opinions of medical experts . . . who would be offering medical 
opinions in this case.'' Id. at 420. Respondent's counsel further 
argued that ``[t]he government did not identify any expert capable of 
being cross-examined on any of these opinions'' and that ``[t]here is 
no reason to believe that [the Exhibit was] authored by a physician, 
much less do we know whether the author had credentials to offer these 
opinions.'' Id.
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    \4\ There is no dispute that the Exhibit was what the Government 
represented it to be--a copy of the package insert. Nor is there any 
dispute as to how the document was obtained.
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    After the Government argued that the document was the FDA package 
insert, which is included ``with every drug purchased or sold,'' id. at 
422, Respondent argued that the copyright of the document was the 
manufacturer and that ``we don't know who authored it, or what their 
credentials were, but it's a self-interested marketing pharmaceutical 
company'' that is ``trying to sell their [sic] medicine'' and while the 
company has a ``self-interest[] to comply with a federal regulation . . 
. ``[i]t doesn't mean that the content is government-sanctioned.'' Id. 
at 422-23. Respondent thus asserted that the

[[Page 54823]]

document was ``just not reliable enough.'' Id. at 426.
    The ALJ sustained the objection but provided no explanation as to 
his reason for doing so. I conclude, however, that the Exhibit was 
admissible. As the FDA has explained, the package insert ``is part of 
the FDA-approved labeling,'' and ``[t]he FDA approved label is the 
official description of a drug product, which includes indication (what 
the drug is used for); who should take it; adverse events (side 
effects); instructions for uses in pregnant women, children, and other 
populations; and safety information for the patient.'' See U.S. Food 
and Drug Administration, Drugs@FDA Instructions: Health Information, 
available at www.fda.gov/Drugs/InformationOnDrugs/ucm079450.htm 
(accessed August 4, 2016). The FDA's approval of a drug label follows 
extensive clinical trials, including trials which examine the safety 
and effectiveness of a drug and are part of the process for approving 
the drug for marketing. See Food and Drug Administration, Requirements 
on Content and Format of Labeling for Human Prescription Drug and 
Biological Products, 71 FR 3922 (2006) (Final Rule) (``A prescription 
drug product's FDA-approved labeling (also known as `professional 
labeling,' `package insert,' `direction circular,' or `package 
circular') is a compilation of information about the product, approved 
by FDA, based on the agency's thorough analysis of the new drug 
application (NDA) . . . submitted by the applicant. This labeling 
contains information necessary for safe and effective use.'').
    Under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, a drug ``shall be deemed to 
be misbranded . . . [u]nless its labeling bears . . . such adequate 
warning against use . . . by children where its use may be dangerous to 
health.'' 21 U.S.C. 352(f). Moreover, introducing a misbranded drug 
into interstate commerce is a violation of 21 U.S.C. 331(a). Thus, 
there are ample incentives for drug manufacturers to provide reliable 
information in the package insert. Based on the foregoing, I find that 
there are sufficient indicia of reliability to support the admission of 
the document into evidence and make it a part of the record.\5\ I 
further find that this evidence is probative on the issue of whether 
the Hycodan prescriptions issued by Respondent in the name of his 
girlfriend's children were for a legitimate medical purpose. See, e.g., 
Medicine Shoppe-Jonesborough v. DEA, 300 Fed. Appx. 409, 413 (6th Cir. 
2008) (holding that dispensing contraindicated controlled substance is 
evidence of 21 CFR 1306.04(a) violation).
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    \5\ Hearsay evidence is admissible in administrative 
proceedings, provided it is relevant and material and supported by 
sufficient indicia of reliability. See, e.g., Mireille Lalanne, 78 
FR 47750 (2013).
    As further noted above, in opposing the admission of the package 
insert, Respondent represented that it contained expert opinions 
from unidentified persons whom he could not cross-examine and thus 
was being offered in violation of the ALJ's Prehearing Order. 
However, in its pre-hearing statement, the Government provided 
notice that it intended to offer the Exhibit and pursuant to the 
ALJ's Prehearing Ruling, the Government was required to provide the 
document to Respondent by 2 p.m. on February 12, 2016. ALJ Ex. 9, at 
2. No claim is made that the Government failed to comply with the 
ALJ's ruling.
    While Respondent asserts that he was unable to cross-examine the 
persons who wrote the package insert, he made no attempt to subpoena 
either an FDA official involved in reviewing the document or an 
employee from the manufacturer who was involved in preparing it. 
Moreover, Respondent could have sought to challenge the reliability 
of the document by producing evidence (whether through expert 
testimony or studies) disputing the package insert's statement 
regarding the risks of prescribing the drug to children less than 
six years of age. Respondent, however, produced no evidence which 
calls into question the reliability of the statements contained in 
the insert.
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    Notably, the Hycodan package insert's safety information includes 
the following warning: ``The use of HYCODAN is not recommended for use 
in children less than 6 years of age because of the risk of fatal 
respiratory depression.'' GX 4, at 2. Notably, Respondent's 
girlfriend's daughter was not even five years old when he wrote the 
first Hycodan prescription in her name. GE 55, at 1-2. Respondent also 
wrote Hycodan prescriptions in the name of his girlfriend's son who was 
then three years old. Id. at 3-4; 11-12. In short, neither of the 
children who were listed as the patients on the Hycodan prescriptions 
was six years of age when Respondent wrote the prescriptions. Thus, I 
consider this as additional evidence which supports the conclusion that 
Respondent lacked a legitimate medical purpose and acted outside of the 
usual course of professional practice when he issued the Hycodan 
prescriptions in the names of his girlfriend's children. 21 CFR 
1306.04(a). I now turn to Respondent's Exceptions.

Exception I--The Government Failed ``to Prove Violations of State or 
Local Laws Sufficient to Demonstrate Danger to the Public Interest.''

    Respondent argues that the ALJ failed to give proper weight to the 
decision of Dr. Craig, the Medical Board's Executive Director, to close 
the Board's investigation of his prescribing practices without 
recommending the initiation of a formal action against his medical 
license. Exceptions, at 1-2. According to Respondent, the Board 
reviewed ``all such clinical and prescription records'' for his 
girlfriend and her children, and it ``decided that there was no 
evidence of any breach of any medical standard of care sufficient to 
bring any administrative charge against [him] related to any such 
prescription.'' Id. at 2. He also asserts that Dr. Craig ``determined 
that there was not even sufficient professional reason to issue [him] 
an informal warning as to any such prescription for pain medication.'' 
Id.
    Respondent then argues that ``[r]ather than . . . defer[] to the 
professional judgments made by [Dr. Craig as to] whether State laws 
were violated by [him], the ALJ['s] Recommendation proceeds to 
interpret and apply those State laws without the benefit of any medical 
evidence, or any medical opinion in any form, anywhere in the record of 
this case.'' Id. And noting the ALJ's discussion that ```DEA has not 
required expert testimony to establish a violation of 21 CFR 1306.04(a) 
in cases where a prescriber engaged in drug deals, where there were 
notable differences between patients' medical records and diagnoses, 
and where a prescriber falsified patients' charts,' '' Respondent 
contends that the Government did not allege that he engaged in any such 
conduct. Id. at n.1.
    I reject the Exception. As for the contention that Dr. Craig 
reviewed the medical records and prescriptions and did not find the 
evidence sufficient to initiate a proceeding against his license, 
Respondent ignores the credited testimony that the Board terminated its 
investigation upon the request of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics 
(MBN) after the latter informed the Board that it was conducting a 
criminal investigation. Tr. 60 (testimony of MBN agent); GE 3, at 2 
(Board Complaint form entry dated ``3-20-15'' stating ``MBN has asked 
that we hold off on doing anything to this doctor because they are 
working a criminal case on him'').\6\ A Board investigator also 
testified that ``it's customary for [the Board] to back off [of an 
investigation] and let a criminal agency pursue their [sic] case'' and 
that Dr. Craig was aware of the criminal investigation. Tr. 210.
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    \6\ The Board's investigation involved interviewing Respondent, 
as well as reviewing his girlfriend's patient file and a PMP report 
of her controlled substance prescriptions. GE 3, at 4-6. Notably, 
the Board's investigator testified that the Board did not interview 
Respondent's girlfriend. Tr. 196.
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    Moreover, even then the Board's letter cautioned Respondent ``that 
authorizing

[[Page 54824]]

refills for Phentermine/Adipex without the benefit of a medical 
examination is strictly prohibited by the Board's Rules and 
Regulations'' and specifically quoted the Board's Rule 1.5(E), which 
states that: ``[a] patient continued on a controlled substance in 
schedule III, IV, V for the purpose of weight reduction or the 
treatment of obesity should undergo an in-person re-evaluation once 
every 30 days.'' GE 3, at 1. Finally, as the evidence shows, subsequent 
to the Board's closing of its investigation, Respondent again issued 
multiple controlled substance prescriptions to purported acquaintances 
of his girlfriend knowing that the drugs would subsequently be provided 
to his girlfriend. Accordingly, I reject Respondent's contention that 
the Board's closing of its investigation reflects its ``professional 
judgments'' that Respondent acted within the bounds of accepted 
professional practice when he prescribed to Respondent and the 
undercover officers.
    Under both this and his subsequent exception, Respondent argues 
that the ALJ's decision is unprecedented because the Government put 
forward no expert testimony to support the conclusion that he violated 
21 CFR 1306.04(a) in issuing the various prescriptions. However, 
contrary to Respondent's understanding, numerous decisions of both the 
federal courts in criminal cases and this Agency have held that expert 
testimony is not necessarily required to prove that a physician acted 
outside of the usual course of professional practice and lacked a 
legitimate medical purpose in issuing a controlled substance 
prescription. See United States v. Pellman, 668 F.3d 918, 924 (7th Cir. 
2012) (quoting United States v. Armstrong, 550 F.3d 382, 388-89 (5th 
Cir. 2008) (``While expert testimony may be both permissible and 
useful, a jury can reasonably find that a doctor prescribed controlled 
substances not in the usual course of professional practice or for 
other than a legitimate medical purpose from adequate lay witness 
evidence surrounding the facts and circumstances of the 
prescriptions.'')); Armstrong, 550 F.3d at 389 (``Jurors have had a 
wide variety of their own experiences in doctors' care over their 
lives, thus and expert testimony is not necessarily required for jurors 
to rationally conclude that seeing patients for as little as two or 
three minutes before prescribing powerful narcotics is not in the usual 
course of professional conduct.'').\7\ See also T.J. McNichol, 77 FR 
57133, 57147-49 (2012), pet. for rev. denied, 537 Fed. Appx. 905 (11th 
Cir. 2013); Morris W. Cochran, 77 FR 17505, 17519-20 (2011) (holding, 
without expert testimony, that prescriptions lacked a legitimate 
medical purpose where physician noted in patient medical records that 
patients had no pain, did not document any findings to support a 
diagnosis, and yet diagnosed patients as having chronic pain); Robert 
F. Hunt, 75 FR 49995, 50003 (2010) (holding, without expert testimony, 
that physician lacked a legitimate medical purpose based on statements 
made during undercover visits and falsification of chart). See also 
Jack A. Danton, 76 FR 60900, 60904 (2011).
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    \7\ See also United States v. Word, 806 F.2d 658, 663 (6th Cir. 
1986); United States v. Larson, 507 F.2d 385, 387 (9th Cir. 1974); 
United States v. Bartee, 479 F.2d 484, 488-89 (10th Cir. 1973); 
State v. Moody, 393 So.2d 1212, 1215 (La. 1981).
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    Thus, while expert testimony is typically necessary to establish a 
violation of 21 CFR 1306.04(a) `` `where a physician ma[kes] some 
attempt to comply with various state medical practice standards and the 
adequacy of those efforts is at issue,' . . . the facts and 
circumstances surrounding the issuance of the prescription may 
nonetheless establish a violation even without expert testimony.'' 
McNichol, 77 FR 57147-48 (quoting Danton, 76 FR at 60904 & n.13). 
Accordingly, in McNichol, the Agency found a violation proved, 
notwithstanding that the ALJ had rejected the testimony of the 
Government's Expert, because while the physician had gone through the 
motions of a physical exam, the physician's ``comments manifest[ed] 
that he knew that [the patient] was an abuser of controlled 
substances.'' Id. at 57148. See also Gonzales v. Oregon, 546 U.S. 243, 
274 (2006) (``[T]he prescription requirement . . . ensures patients use 
controlled substances under the supervision of a doctor so as to 
prevent addiction and recreational abuse. As a corollary, [it] also 
bars doctors from peddling to patients who crave the drugs for those 
prohibited uses.'') (citing United States v. Moore, 423 U.S. 122, 135, 
143 (1975)).
    Here, as the ALJ found, Respondent issued multiple prescriptions to 
his girlfriend while failing to document the performance of a physical 
exam, as well as findings and diagnoses that would support the issuance 
of the prescriptions. Moreover, with respect to the hydrocodone cough 
syrup prescriptions Respondent issued to his girlfriend which listed 
her children as the patients, the ALJ credited her testimony that she 
told Respondent that she wanted the big bottle of hydrocodone cough 
syrup and he ``knew I would drink it too.'' R.D. 7; 11 (citing Tr. 216, 
251-52, 268, 273); see also Tr. 298 (girlfriend's testimony that the 
Norco prescriptions were ``not for a headache'' but were ``[j]ust for 
fun''). Likewise, with respect to the prescriptions Respondent provided 
in March and April 2015 to his girlfriend's purported acquaintances, 
the undercover recordings clearly establish that Respondent knew that 
the acquaintances were not seeking the prescriptions to treat 
legitimate medical conditions but to provide the drugs to his 
girlfriend. Given the evidence that clearly shows that Respondent 
issued the prescriptions to support his girlfriend's abuse of 
controlled substances, the Government was not required to put forward 
expert testimony to prove its case.

Exception II--The Government ``Fail[ed] to Prove `Past Experience in 
the Distribution of Controlled Substances.' ''

    Respondent further argues that the ALJ erred when he refused ``to 
allow Respondent to seek clinical evidence about [his girlfriend's] 
medical history through third-party document subpoenas.'' Exceptions, 
at 2. Prior to the hearing, Respondent requested that the ALJ issue 
eight subpoenas to health care providers for their medical records 
``which reflect, relate to, or explain the clinical or medical basis 
for prescribing'' controlled substances (primarily hydrocodone with 
acetaminophen) to his girlfriend. See, e.g., ALJ Ex. 13, at 6.
    In seeking the subpoenas, Respondent maintained that ``[i]n order 
for the truth about [his girlfriend's] medical condition and needs to 
be revealed . . . the clinical findings and judgment of all such health 
care providers should be available to the Court in order to allow a 
comparison between Dr. Stewart's judgment and the judgments of a 
substantial number of other health care professionals in the same 
community.'' ALJ Ex. 13, at 3. On the various subpoenas, Respondent 
explained that because one of the Government's Exhibits (the PMP 
report, GE 49) shows that the other health care providers had also 
issued hydrocodone prescriptions to his girlfriend, ``[t]he presumed 
legitimacy of the particular clinical findings which caused [the] other 
health care professionals in the same community to prescribe the same 
medication to [her] could be strongly probative of the medical 
inaccuracy of the . . . core allegations against'' him. See, e.g., GE 
13, at 6.
    The Government opposed the issuance of the subpoenas. It argued 
that

[[Page 54825]]

the information Respondent sought was irrelevant because the only 
allegations it raised as to the unlawful prescribing of hydrocodone 
with acetaminophen to his girlfriend involved the four Norco 
prescriptions which were identified in paragraph 4 of the Show Cause 
Order.\8\ ALJ Ex. 14, at 2-3. The Government also argued that ``[i]n 
each of those instances,'' it was ``alleg[ing] that Respondent 
prescribed to [her] either without conducting any examination of her or 
without noting those prescriptions in her chart.'' Id. at 3. And it 
further argued that none of the records would address the ``actual 
charges against'' Respondent. Id.
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    \8\ The Show Cause Order alleged that the prescriptions were 
issued on May 22, June 17, September 11, and October 29, 2014. ALJ 
Ex. 1, at 2.
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    The ALJ agreed with the Government and denied Respondent's request. 
ALJ Ex. 16. The ALJ explained that having reviewed the allegations of 
the Show Cause Order, he agreed with ``the Government's assessment that 
the question of whether [Respondent' girlfriend] needed a particular 
medication is not an issue before me.'' Id. at 1. And noting that 
``Respondent has not produced a summary of [his] expected testimony,'' 
the ALJ then reasoned that ``there is no information in the record that 
the Respondent based his decision to prescribe a particular medication 
to [his girlfriend] based upon his knowledge of what some other 
treating physician had prescribed for'' her. Id. at 1-2. Concluding 
that the information sought by Respondent was irrelevant, the ALJ 
denied the request. Id. at 2.
    I conclude that the ALJ properly denied Respondent's request. I do 
not, however, read the Government's Opposition as expressing the 
position that his girlfriend's need for the Norco prescriptions was not 
at issue.
    While the Government alleged that these particular prescriptions 
were unlawful because: (1) Respondent did not ``conduct[] an 
examination of'' of his girlfriend or ``document[] such in her file,'' 
or (2) Respondent did not note the prescriptions in her chart and thus 
violated the Board's Rules 1.4, 1.11(b) and 1.16, the Government also 
cited 21 CFR 1306.04(a)). Because ``[a] prescription for a controlled 
substance to be effective must be issued for a legitimate medical 
purpose,'' 21 CFR 1306.04(a), a patient's need for the drug is 
invariably at issue when a violation of this provision is alleged. See 
also Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.4 (``No physician shall 
prescribe, administer or dispense any controlled substance . . . 
without a good faith prior examination and medical indication 
therefore.''). Indeed, assessing whether a patient needs a controlled 
substance to treat a medical condition is the reason why the usual 
course of professional practice generally requires that a physician 
take a detailed history and conduct an appropriate examination of the 
patient to make a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.\9\ See id.
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    \9\ As Rule 1.4 further states:
     Standards of proper medical practice require that, upon any 
encounter with a patient, in order to establish proper diagnosis and 
regimen of treatment, a physician must take three steps: (a) Take 
and record an appropriate medical history, (b) carry out an 
appropriate physical examination, and (c) record the results. The 
observance of these principles as a function of the ``course of 
legitimate professional practice'' is particularly of importance in 
cases in which controlled substances are to play a part in the 
course of treatment. It is the responsibility of the physician to 
dispense, prescribe or administer such drugs with proper regard for 
the actual and potential dangers.
    Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.4.
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    I nonetheless agree with the ALJ's conclusion that the information 
sought by the subpoenas was irrelevant. Notably, Respondent made no 
proffer that he had obtained and reviewed the records maintained by 
these other providers and had based his decisions to prescribe 
hydrocodone to his girlfriend on those records. Nor did Respondent 
proffer that he was acting as a covering physician for any of these 
other physicians (or any other authorized prescriber) when he 
prescribed the hydrocodone to his girlfriend.
    Respondent further contends that the prescriptions issued by the 
other providers ``strongly support a conclusion that [his] own 
prescriptions for [h]ydrocodone for use by [his girlfriend] were within 
the bounds of the medical standard of care practiced in that 
community.'' Exceptions, at 4. However, were it the case that 
Respondent's prescribing of hydrocodone was within the bounds of 
professional practice, he could have put on an expert to testify as 
such.\10\ Yet Respondent chose not do so.
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    \10\ Respondent initially proposed to call a physician and 
professor from the University of Mississippi Medical Center who 
would testify that the prescriptions he issued ``were for legitimate 
medical purposes'' and ``were in the usual course of and consistent 
with [his] own standard professional practices [and] were consistent 
with the standard of care in the medical community in which they 
lived.'' ALJ Ex. 17, at 2-3. While the Government moved to exclude 
the proffered testimony, the ALJ denied the Government's motion and 
specifically ruled that the expert could testify to the above 
subjects. ALJ Ex. 28, 3-4. Respondent did not, however, call this 
witness.
     Of further note, even if Respondent had put on testimony that 
the prescriptions were ``consistent with [his] own standard 
professional practices,'' that testimony would have been unavailing 
because the standard of professional practice is not defined by a 
physician's subjective belief as to the propriety of his practices 
but on the application of the standards of practice in the State 
where he practices. United States v. Tobin, 676 F.3d 1264, 1290 
(11th Cir. 2012). For similar reasons, evidence as to the standard 
of care in the medical community in which Respondent lived would 
also be unavailing.
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    Respondent also contends that the evidence is insufficient to show 
that the hydrocodone prescriptions lacked a legitimate medical purpose 
because ``it is clear that during the months relevant to this case [his 
girlfriend] was in fact suffering from a chronic migraine condition and 
associated headache pain, and that [he] was treating her for that 
condition.'' Exceptions, at 3. Respondent points to the testimony of 
his girlfriend that she was hospitalized for migraines ``[t]hree times 
prior to the beginning of his treatment of her in February 2014, and a 
fourth time during that treatment in August of 2014.'' Id. He further 
maintains that his charts ``specified that she complained of, and in 
fact suffered from, a chronic migraine condition.'' Id.
    It is true that in two of the visit notes for his girlfriend (April 
21 and Sept. 2, 2014), Respondent listed Maxalt, a non-controlled drug, 
and Norco (hydrocodone with acetaminophen), as the drugs he prescribed 
to her for this condition. GE 2, at 12. Yet prior to Respondent's 
issuance of the first Norco prescription to her, she had ``asked him to 
write the big bottle'' of hydrocodone cough syrup ``so that [she] could 
have some too'' and ``told him I like to drink it'' because she 
``like[d] the way it made [her] feel.'' Tr. 251-52; 273. Thus, 
Respondent already knew that his girlfriend was a drug abuser.\11\
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    \11\ Respondent points to the testimony of his girlfriend that 
she never told him that she was addicted to hydrocodone, dependent 
on the drug, or taking it ``for no reason.'' Exceptions, at 3. As 
discussed above, Respondent's girlfriend subsequently clarified that 
she took the Norco ``just for fun.'' Tr. 298.
     To the extent Respondent believes that his misconduct in 
writing the Norco prescriptions should be excused because his 
girlfriend did not tell him why she was taking the Norco, the 
evidence is clear that she had previously asked him to prescribe the 
big bottle of cough syrup so that she ``could have some too'' and 
had told him that she ``like[d] to drink it'' because of ``the way 
it made [her] feel.'' Thus, Respondent clearly knew that his 
girlfriend was a drug abuser at the time he wrote her the first 
Norco prescription.
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    The evidence also shows that Respondent told his girlfriend that 
taking hydrocodone could itself ``cause migraines.'' Id. at 283; see 
also id. at 299. Respondent's girlfriend testified that he told her 
that taking hydrocodone ``would not help'' her migraines. Id. at 300. 
She further testified that ``[t]he hydrocodone was not for a 
headache,'' but for ``[e]xtracurricular activities,'' i.e.,

[[Page 54826]]

``just for fun.'' Id. at 298. Moreover, Respondent issued the first of 
the Norco prescriptions to her without even taking a history and 
conducting a physical examination of her. GE 2, at 12; see Miss. Code 
R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.4. He also failed to document several of the 
hydrocodone prescriptions in his girlfriend's chart.\12\ Compare GE 2, 
at 12, with GE 3, at 9-10. Thus, the evidence strongly supports the 
conclusion that Respondent acted outside of the usual course of 
professional practice and lacked a legitimate medical purpose when he 
prescribed Norco to his girlfriend. 21 CFR 1306.04(a).
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    \12\ Indeed, Respondent wrote the first Norco prescription for 
her on February 21, 2014. The note in her patient file simply 
states: ``2-21-14 Hc 7.5/325 (#40, 1)--may be picked up at desk.'' 
GE 2, at 12. Thus, Respondent issued the prescription without taking 
a history of his girlfriend's migraines and without conducting a 
physical exam.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Respondent also appears to argue that the alprazolam prescription 
he issued to his girlfriend was not unlawful because she suffered from 
anxiety and he referred her to a psychiatrist who had prescribed the 
drug to her. Exceptions, at 4. While Respondent acknowledges that he 
did not ``diagnose [her] himself as to anxiety,'' he argues that he 
issued the prescription ``in reliance on that psychiatrist's 
independent clinical judgment'' and gave her a refill so that she could 
``avoid[] further one-hour trips to the psychiatrist to obtain a 
refill.'' Id.
    I am not persuaded. Notably, the psychiatrist prescribed only a 
seven-day supply of alprazolam extended release in the .5 mg dosage. GE 
49, at 1. Respondent, however, prescribed a stronger dosage of 
alprazolam and greater quantity, providing her with a prescription for 
40 tablets of the 1mg immediate release dosage form, with a refill for 
an additional 40 tablets. Id. This was not a refill of the 
psychiatrist's prescription at all, but a substantially different and 
stronger prescription. Yet the medical record contains no evidence that 
Respondent coordinated his prescribing with the psychiatrist. As for 
Respondent's explanation that he wrote the prescription so that his 
girlfriend would not have to make the one-hour trip to obtain a refill, 
this begs the question as to why the psychiatrist would not be willing 
to call in a refill. I thus reject Respondent's Exception to the extent 
it challenges the ALJ's findings as to the alprazolam prescription.
    As for the phentermine prescriptions, Respondent again invokes Dr. 
Craig's letter in which he stated that the Board was closing its 
investigation while cautioning Respondent about the need to conduct an 
in-person re-evaluation every 30 days. Exceptions, at 4. Respondent 
revisits his argument that Dr. Craig ``determined that there was no 
sufficient medical basis for alleging any violation . . . of any 
medical standard in Mississippi.'' Id. However, as previously 
explained, the Board terminated its investigation because Respondent 
was the subject of a criminal investigation. Moreover, the ALJ 
thoroughly explained the basis for his conclusion that Respondent acted 
outside of the usual course of professional practice and lacked a 
legitimate medical purpose when he issued the phentermine prescriptions 
to his girlfriend.\13\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \13\ Respondent points to the evidence that on March 27, 2015, 
he declined to prescribe weight loss medication to one of the 
undercover agents. Exceptions, at 4 (citing GE 10, at 1-2). However, 
several weeks earlier, Respondent had been visited by a State Board 
Investigator who had told him that his documentation for the 
phentermine prescriptions that he issued to his girlfriend was 
inadequate and he may have already received the letter from Dr. 
Craig by the date of the first undercover visit. In any event, while 
Respondent may have taken to heart the warning he received from Dr. 
Craig regarding the prescribing of weight loss medications, this 
obviously had no impact on his prescribing of narcotics, as 
evidenced by his prescribing of Norco and Hycodan to the undercover 
agents.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Finally, Respondent argues that ``[t]he DEA, through the CI [his 
girlfriend], effectively caused [him] to engage in conduct, which, 
according to the record . . . he apparently had never engaged in on any 
other occasion.'' Exceptions, at 5. Continuing, Respondent argues that 
his ``conduct, in issuing prescriptions for pain medications to third 
parties in an effort to provide the CI with continuing relief from her 
migraine conditions, arose from the peculiar combination of his 
personal relationship and familiarity with the CI and the CI's 
insistence that her `friends' were seeking medication for'' her use. 
Id. Respondent thus maintains that this ``peculiar circumstance . . . 
provides no significant medical or other evidence sufficient to justify 
any conclusion that [his] conduct . . . poses, or is likely to pose in 
the future, any danger to the public health or safety.'' Id.
    I disagree. To the extent Respondent's argument sounds in the 
entrapment defense, I reject it as there is ample evidence that he was 
predisposed to issue the unlawful prescriptions given the multiple 
unlawful prescriptions he wrote for his girlfriend in 2014, prior to 
the involvement of the MBN and DEA. See United States v. Sumlin, 271 
F.3d 274 (D.C. Cir. 2001). As for the assertion that he wrote the 
prescriptions to the undercover agents to provide his girlfriend ``with 
continuing relief from her migraine conditions,'' this is simply 
counterfactual as the record abounds with evidence that Respondent knew 
she was seeking the drugs to abuse them. Tr. 345; GE15; 16; GE 17, at 
2-4, 6-8; GE 18, at 3. I therefore reject Respondent's contention that 
there is no ``significant medical or other evidence'' to support the 
conclusion that he poses a danger to public health and safety.\14\ 
Exceptions, at 5. To the contrary, the evidence shows that on multiple 
occasions, Respondent issued prescriptions outside of the usual course 
of professional practices and which lacked a legitimate medical purpose 
to feed his girlfriend's abuse of controlled substances. This conduct 
amply supports the conclusion that he has committed such as acts as to 
render his registration ``inconsistent with the public interest.'' 21 
U.S.C. 824(a)(4).
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    \14\ In arguing that he does not ``pose . . . any danger to 
public health or safety,'' Respondent cites 21 U.S.C. 823(e), the 
provision which governs the registration of distributors of schedule 
III through V controlled substances and not practitioners, who are 
registered under section 823(f). However, to the extent Respondent 
argues that the Government is required to put forward such proof in 
seeking the revocation of his registration, the Government is not 
required to do so even though one of the section 823(f) factors is 
``such other conduct which may threaten the public health and 
safety.'' 21 U.S.C. 823(f). While this factor encompasses conduct 
which is not otherwise embraced by the other section 823(f) factors, 
it is indisputable that issuing prescriptions to feed a person's 
drug abuse is conduct which threatens public health and safety.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exception III--The ALJ Violated Respondent's Fifth Amendment Rights 
When He Denied His Request To Delay the Hearing Until the End of His 
Criminal Trial

    Respondent's final contention is that the ALJ violated his Fifth 
Amendment privilege against self-incrimination when he denied his 
request to reschedule the hearing until after his criminal trial 
concluded. Exceptions, at 5-6. Notably, the Government did not call 
Respondent to testify and the ALJ declined to draw an adverse inference 
from his failure to testify on his own behalf even though doing so 
would have been warranted. See Keating v. Office of Thrift Supervision, 
45 F.3d 322, 326 (9th Cir. 1995) (``Not only is it permissible to 
conduct a civil proceeding at the same time as a related criminal 
proceeding, even if that necessitates invocation of the Fifth Amendment 
privilege, but it is even permissible for the trier of fact to draw 
adverse inferences from the invocation of the Fifth Amendment in a 
civil proceeding.'') (citing Baxter v. Palmigiano, 425 U.S. 308, 318 
(1976)).
    ` Here, Respondent does not contend that the need to preserve his 
Fifth Amendment privilege prevented him

[[Page 54827]]

from providing testimony refuting the allegations that he unlawfully 
prescribed various controlled substances to his girlfriend and the 
undercover officers. Rather, he argues that ``[b]ecause he desired 
understandably to preserve and not to waive his Fifth Amendment 
privileges with respect to his criminal trial, [he] was prohibited from 
`rebutting' any prima facie Government case through his own hearing 
testimony, which was the only practical way he had to `accept 
responsibility'' or to affirm that he `will not engage in future 
misconduct.''' Id. at 6.
    I reject Respondent's contention. See Grider Drug 1 & 2, 77 FR 
44069, 44104 (2012). In Grider, the respondents argued that the Agency 
should reject an ALJ's conclusions that the pharmacies had failed to 
rebut the Government's prima facie case because their owner, who was 
under indictment in two state criminal cases, did not testify and thus 
offered no evidence to show that he had accepted responsibility and 
implemented corrective measures. Invoking SEC v. Dresser Industries, 
Inc., 628 F.2d 1368, 1375-76 (D.C. Cir.1980), the Grider respondents 
further argued that because their owner was under indictment, the ALJ 
should have stayed the proceeding until the state criminal cases were 
concluded so as not to ``undermine the party's Fifth Amendment 
privilege against self-incrimination.'' 77 FR at 44104.
    The Agency rejected Grider's arguments. As the Agency explained, 
```as a general matter, due process is not infringed merely because an 
accused person is subjected, without his consent, to an administrative 
hearing concerning matters involved in a pending criminal 
proceeding.''' Id. (quoting 628 F.2d at 1376 n.21). As Dresser 
Industries noted, ``[t]he civil and regulatory laws of the United 
States frequently overlap with the criminal laws creating the 
possibility of parallel [administrative] and criminal proceedings, 
either successive or simultaneous'' and that ``[i]n the absence of 
substantial prejudice to the rights of the parties involved, such 
parallel proceedings are unobjectionable.'' 628 F.2d at 1374. Thus, in 
Dresser Industries, the D.C. Circuit observed that ``[t]he Constitution 
. . . does not ordinarily require a stay of civil proceedings pending 
the outcome of criminal proceedings.'' Id. at 1375.
    To be sure, in Dresser Industries, the D.C Circuit further 
explained that ``the strongest case for deferring civil proceedings is 
where a party under indictment for a serious offense is required to 
defend a civil or administrative action involving the same matter.'' 
Id. However, the court further explained that the potential harm to a 
party's Fifth Amendment privilege is just one of the factors to be 
considered in determining whether to stay the noncriminal proceeding. 
Id. at 1376. Continuing, the court explained that ``[i]f delay of the 
noncriminal proceedings would not seriously injure the public interest, 
a court may be justified in deferring it.'' Id. (emphasis added). That 
decision is, however, committed to the discretion of the trial court. 
See, e.g., Keating, 45 F.3d at 325 (setting forth multiple factors).
    Here, I find no reason to conclude that the ALJ abused his 
discretion when he declined to continue the proceeding until the 
conclusion of Respondent's criminal trial. Notably, in his request for 
a continuance, Respondent provided no information to the ALJ as to when 
that trial would commence.\15\ That trial--and a subsequent appeal were 
Respondent convicted of the charges--could go on for several years. The 
ALJ was not required to withhold conducting the hearing while 
Respondent litigates in other forums. See 45 F.3d at 325 (noting that 
``convenience of the court in the management of its cases'' is a 
factor). So too, the Government has a strong interest in proceeding 
expeditiously with this litigation, and indeed, under the Constitution, 
the Agency has an obligation to provide prompt post-deprivation process 
where the Government immediately suspends a registration. Id.; see also 
Barry v. Barchi, 443 U.S. 56, 64 (1979).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \15\ In opposing the request, the Government noted that 
Respondent had also sought a continuance of the criminal case. ALJ 
Ex. 6, at 1 n.1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As for the burden on Respondent, it is true that courts have held 
that the prejudice to a respondent's Fifth Amendment privilege may be 
substantial where there are parallel administrative and criminal 
proceedings. Keating, 45 F.3d at 326. However, while ``the extent to 
which the defendant's Fifth Amendment rights are implicated is a 
significant factor . . . to consider . . . it is only one consideration 
to be weighed against others.'' Id. (citation omitted).
    Notably, Respondent was not otherwise foreclosed from putting on a 
defense. Indeed, in its pre-hearing statement, Respondent proposed to 
call an expert witness who would testify that the prescriptions were 
lawfully issued but ultimately chose not to call this witness. Notably, 
in his Exceptions, Respondent does not maintain that because he invoked 
the privilege, he was precluded from refuting the factual basis of the 
allegations.
    Instead, Respondent now contends that my consideration of the ALJ's 
recommendation ``should await the disposition of the criminal case . . 
. following which he should be given an opportunity promptly and 
succinctly to tell his side of the story and express his complete 
remorse.'' Exceptions, at 6. However, as discussed above, in his 
Exceptions, Respondent continues to dispute the allegations (as well as 
the ALJ's factual findings and legal conclusions) that he issued 
prescriptions outside of the usual course of professional practice and 
which lacked a legitimate medical purpose for each of the different 
drugs (i.e., the hydrocodone cough syrup, the Norco tablets, the 
alprazolam, and the phentermine). Thus, his argument begs the question 
of which allegations he now would admit to.
    The Fifth Amendment privilege is not ``a sword whereby a claimant 
asserting the privilege [is] freed from adducing proof in support of a 
burden which would otherwise have been his.'' United States v. 
Rylander, 460 U.S. 752, 758 (1983). See also MacKay v. DEA, 664 F.3d 
808, 820 (10th Cir. 2011) (quoting Keating v. Office of Thrift 
Supervision, 45 F.3d 322, 326 (9th Cir. 1995)). Indeed, the misconduct 
established on this record is so egregious and occurred over such a 
lengthy period, that even were I to remand to allow Respondent to 
express his ``complete remorse'' and the ALJ was to find this credible, 
I would still find his registration to be inconsistent with the public 
interest. See Hatem M. Attaya, 81 FR 8221, 8244 (2016); Fred Samimi, 79 
FR 18698, 18714 (2014) (denying applications noting that 
notwithstanding ALJ's finding that physician ``credibly accept 
responsibility for his misconduct, this is a case where actions speak 
louder than words''). Thus, I find that Respondent has failed to 
establish that the ALJ abused his discretion when he denied 
Respondent's request to continue the proceeding until his criminal 
trial concluded.\16\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \16\ It is, of course, commonplace that matters involving DEA 
registrants will lead to both a revocation proceeding and a criminal 
investigation and subsequent charges at either the federal or state 
level. However, the very purpose of a proceeding brought under 21 
U.S.C. 823(f) and 824(a)(4) is to protect the public interest, and, 
in the Controlled Substances Act, Congress directed that these 
``proceedings shall be independent of, and not in lieu of, criminal 
prosecutions or other proceedings under this subchapter.'' Thus, I 
conclude that the fifth Keating factor (``the interest of the public 
in the pending . . . litigation'') also supports the ALJ's denial of 
Respondent's stay request.
     As for the fourth Keating factor, ``the interests of persons 
not parties to the [administrative] litigation,'' 45 F.3d at 326, 
Respondent puts forward no argument as to why this factor supports 
the requested stay or a remand at this juncture.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 54828]]

    Accordingly, I reject Respondent's third exception and will adopt 
the ALJ's recommended sanction of revocation.

ORDER

    Pursuant to the authority vested in me by 21 U.S.C. 824(a) and 
823(f), as well as 28 CFR 0.100(b), I order that DEA Certificate of 
Registration AS2286311 issued to Lawrence E. Stewart, M.D., be, and it 
hereby is, revoked. I further order that any application of Lawrence E. 
Stewart, M.D., to renew or modify the above registration, or for any 
additional registration be, and it hereby is, denied. This Order is 
effectively immediately.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \17\ For the same reasons that led me to immediately suspend 
Respondent's registration, I find that the public interest 
necessitates that this Order be effective immediately. See 21 CFR 
1316.67.

    Dated: August 9, 2016.
Chuck Rosenberg,
Acting Administrator.

Paul A. Dean, Esq. for the Government.
J. Brad Pigott, Esq. for the Respondent.

RECOMMENDED RULINGS, FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW, AND DECISION

    Administrative Law Judge Charles Wm. Dorman. On December 9, 2015, 
the Drug Enforcement Administration (``DEA'' or ``Government'') served 
Lawrence E. Stewart, M.D. (``Respondent''), with an Order to Show Cause 
and Immediate Suspension of Registration (``OSC/ISO''), which 
immediately suspended the Respondent's DEA Certificate of Registration 
(``COR''), Number AS2286311. Administrative Law Judge Exhibit (``ALJ-
'') 1-2. The Respondent's COR has remained suspended throughout these 
proceedings. In response to the OSC/ISO, the Respondent requested a 
hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. ALJ-3. That hearing was 
held in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 22 and 23, 2016. The issue 
currently before the Administrator is whether the Respondent's COR 
should be revoked, and applications for renewal or modification denied, 
because continued registration would be inconsistent with the public 
interest under 21 U.S.C. 823(f) and 824(a)(4). The following 
recommendations are based on my consideration of the entire 
administrative record, including all of the testimony, admitted 
exhibits, and the oral and written arguments of counsel.

ALLEGATIONS

    1. From February 2014 to May 2015, the Respondent prescribed 
controlled substances, including hydrocodone and alprazolam, to a 
confidential informant (``CI'') \1\ without conducting and/or 
documenting a physical examination, and without recording the 
controlled substance prescriptions in CI's chart, in violation of 
Mississippi Medical Board Administrative Rules Part 2640, Chapter 1, 
Rules 1.4, 1.11(b), and 1.16, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) 
and (13), and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a). ALJ-1, at 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The Prehearing Ruling and Protective Order directed that the 
confidential informant would be referred to as ``CI.'' ALJ-9, at 5. 
Accordingly, in this Recommended Decision, the confidential 
informant will be referred to as ``CI.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. On four occasions, the Respondent prescribed phentermine to CI 
without adequate documentation, in violation of Mississippi Medical 
Board Administrative Rules Part 2640, Chapter 1, Rule 1.5, Mississippi 
Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a). ALJ-
1, at 3.
    3. From February 7, 2014 to November 19, 2014, the Respondent 
prescribed hydrocodone products to CI's children \2\ without conducting 
examinations of them, and for CI's personal use, in violation of 
Mississippi Medical Board Administrative Rules Part 2640, Chapter 1, 
Rules 1.4, 1.10, 1.11(b), and 1.16, and Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-
25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a) and 1306.05(a). ALJ-1, 
at 2-3. The Respondent prescribed hydrocodone-homatropine syrup to 
these children, who were under the age of six. ALJ-1, at 3. 
Hydrocodone-homatropine syrup is not recommended for children under the 
age of six because of a risk of death. ALJ-1, at 3. The Respondent also 
prescribed adult dosages of hydrocodone-homatropine to these children, 
even though the recommended dosage for children ages six to eleven is 
half of the adult dosage. ALJ-1, at 2-3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ The Prehearing Ruling and Protective Order directed that 
CI's children would be referred to as ``Kid 1'' and ``Kid 2.'' ALJ-
9, at 5. Accordingly, in this Recommended Decision, CI's son will be 
referred to as ``Kid 1,'' and CI's daughter will be referred to as 
``Kid 2.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. On five occasions between March and October 2015, the Respondent 
prescribed controlled substances to undercover agents when he knew or 
should have known that the agents' prescription requests were 
fraudulent, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a) and 842(a), and 21 CFR 
Sec.  1306.04(a). ALJ-1, at 3. In total, the Respondent wrote seven 
prescriptions on five occasions to undercover agents, for a total of 
190 dosage units of hydrocodone tablets and 72 dosage units of 
hydrocodone syrup. ALJ-1, at 11. On at least four of those occasions, 
the Respondent knew that CI would receive a portion of the prescribed 
controlled substances. ALJ-1, at 3-4. The Respondent also knew that CI 
had attempted to commit suicide using controlled substances that the 
Respondent had prescribed to her. ALJ-1, at 3-4.
    5. From February 2014 to October 2015, the Respondent unlawfully 
prescribed controlled substances in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a) and 
842(a). ALJ-1, at 2. Specifically, the Respondent prescribed controlled 
substances when he knew or should have known that the prescriptions 
were not for legitimate medical purposes and were not made in the usual 
course of professional practice, in violation of 21 CFR Sec.  
1306.04(a) and Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  41-29-137(a)(1) and 41-29-
141(1). ALJ-1, at 2.
    6. On September 2, 2014, the Respondent prescribed meperidine to 
CI. ALJ-1, at 3. The Respondent was the only practitioner to prescribe 
meperidine to CI. ALJ-1, at 3. CI used meperidine to attempt to commit 
suicide in December 2014. ALJ-1, at 3.

STIPULATIONS OF FACT \3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ See ALJ-9, 20; Tr. 9.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Government and the Respondent stipulated to the following 
facts:
    1. Respondent is registered with the DEA as a practitioner to 
handle controlled substances in Schedules II-V under DEA COR AS2286311 
at 405 Marion Avenue, P.O. Box 666, McComb, Mississippi 39648-2709.
    2. DEA COR AS2286311 will expire by its terms on February 28, 2018.
    3. Respondent is presently licensed in Mississippi as a medical 
doctor (M.D.) with Medical License 11503.
    4. CI is the mother of Kid 1 and Kid 2.
    5. Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen 10-325 (Norco), Hydrocodone-
Acetaminophen 7.5-325 (Norco), Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen 5-325 (Norco), 
and Hydrocodone-Homatropine Syrup (Hycodan) are all classified as 
Hydrocodone Combination Products.
    6. Hydrocodone Combination Products are classified by DEA as 
Schedule II Controlled Substances and have been so classified since 
October 6, 2014. Before October 6, 2014, Hydrocodone Combination 
Products were classified by DEA as Schedule III Controlled Substances.
    7. Alprazolam is classified by DEA as a Schedule IV Controlled 
Substance.

[[Page 54829]]

    8. Phentermine (Adipex) is classified by DEA as a Schedule IV 
Controlled Substance.
    9. Meperidine (Demerol) is classified by DEA as a Schedule II 
Controlled Substance.

WITNESSES

    The Government presented its case through the testimony of nine \4\ 
witnesses. First, the Government called Kendrick Lewis (``Lewis''). Tr. 
24. Lewis is an employee of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics 
(``MBN''). Tr. 25. Lewis received a complaint against the Respondent on 
January 18, 2015. Tr. 25. Lewis spoke with CI and her husband, who had 
made the complaint together. Tr. 25, 29-31. Other than this 
conversation, Lewis had no further contact with CI. Tr. 28. Based on 
the nature of the complaint, Lewis contacted MBN's diversion unit, 
which began investigating the Respondent. Tr. 26-27, 31. During 2015, 
Lewis participated in the investigation by assisting with surveillance 
on March 27, April 8, April 29, and October 16. Tr. 27. Lewis's 
testimony was thorough, detailed, and internally consistent. Therefore, 
I merit it as credible in this Recommended Decision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ Although the Government also called Antoine Battle to the 
stand, the Government did not elicit any testimony from Mr. Battle, 
and he was excused without testifying. Tr. 155-58.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Second, the Government called Mary Flinchum (``Flinchum''). Tr. 33. 
Flinchum is a lieutenant for the MBN and a task force officer for the 
DEA's Tactical Diversion Squad. Tr. 33-34. Flinchum received an 
intelligence report about the Respondent from MBN. Tr. 35. Flinchum 
interviewed CI and her husband, separately and together, about their 
complaint to MBN. Tr. 36, 82. Flinchum helped decide that MBN should 
investigate the Respondent. Tr. 36-37. Flinchum also communicated with 
the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure (``Mississippi 
Board''), which was conducting an independent investigation concerning 
the Respondent. Tr. 58-59. Flinchum was familiar with an undercover 
investigation of the Respondent during March, April, and October of 
2015. Tr. 77-81. Later, Flinchum was recalled to offer further 
testimony concerning the October 2015 undercover operation. Tr. 449-50. 
Through Flinchum's testimony, the Government authenticated and 
successfully offered into evidence Government Exhibits (``GE-'') 13 
through 21, 27 through 29, 38 through 40, and 53. Tr. 38-57. I find all 
of these exhibits to be accurate, authentic, and meriting credibility. 
On cross-examination, the Respondent authenticated and successfully 
offered into evidence GE-2. Tr. 62-63. I find that Flinchum's testimony 
was thorough, detailed, and internally consistent. Therefore, I merit 
her testimony as credible in this Recommended Decision.
    Third, the Government called Undercover Agent #1 \5\ (``Agent 1''). 
Tr. 89. Agent 1 is a female DEA task force officer and former MBN 
Agent. Tr. 89-90. Agent 1 participated in an undercover investigation 
of the Respondent. Tr. 90-91. Agent 1 attended undercover medical 
appointments with the Respondent on four occasions in 2015: March 27, 
April 8, April 29, and October 16. Tr. 91, 102, 111, 119. Agent 1 also 
accompanied CI to a rendezvous with the Respondent at a Walmart before 
the second undercover appointment on April 8, 2015. Tr. 128-29. Through 
Agent 1's testimony, the Government authenticated and successfully 
offered into evidence GE-9 through 12, 24 through 26, 30 through 33, 42 
through 47, and 54. Tr. 91-128. I find all of these exhibits to be 
accurate, authentic, and meriting credibility. I also find that Agent 
1's testimony was thorough, detailed, and internally consistent. 
Therefore, I merit her testimony as credible in this Recommended 
Decision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ Pursuant to the Prehearing Ruling and Protective Order, the 
identities of the undercover agents are not disclosed in this 
Recommended Decision. ALJ-9.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Fourth, the Government called Undercover Agent #2 (``Agent 2''). 
Tr. 141. Agent 2 is a female MBN agent. Tr. 141. Agent 2 participated 
in the undercover investigation of the Respondent. Tr. 142. Agent 2 
attended an undercover medical appointment with the Respondent on April 
29, 2015. Tr. 143. Through Agent 2's testimony, the Government 
authenticated and successfully offered into evidence GE-34 through 37. 
Tr. 143-51. I find these exhibits to be accurate, authentic, and 
meriting full credibility. I also find that Agent 2's testimony was 
thorough, detailed, and internally consistent. Therefore, I merit her 
testimony as credible in this Recommended Decision.
    Fifth, the Government called MBN Agent Charles Causey (``Causey''). 
Tr. 159. In 2015, Causey assisted with audiovisual surveillance for the 
DEA and MBN's undercover investigation of the Respondent on March 27, 
April 8, April 29, and October 16. Tr. 162-63. Causey testified that 
the video recordings of these undercover operations may contain 
incorrect internal date/time stamps, and that the dates and times on 
the video recordings do not necessarily correspond to the actual dates 
and times on which the video recordings were made. Tr. 165-66. I find 
that Causey's testimony was thorough, detailed, and internally 
consistent. Therefore, I merit his testimony as credible in this 
Recommended Decision.
    Sixth, the Government called Leslie Ross (``Ross''). Tr. 168. Ross 
is an investigations supervisor for the Mississippi Board and a task 
force officer for the DEA's Tactical Diversion Squad. Tr. 168-69. The 
Mississippi Board reviews and issues medical licenses, promulgates 
rules and regulations for the practice of medicine in Mississippi, 
investigates complaints about Mississippi licensees, and imposes 
disciplinary action when necessary. Tr. 170. Several days before the 
Mississippi Board closed its investigation concerning the Respondent, 
Ross received a call from Agent Flinchum, advising Ross that the DEA 
and the MBN were investigating the Respondent. Tr. 194-95, 210. Ross 
explained that the phone call influenced the Mississippi Board's 
decision to close its case because it was the Mississippi Board's 
custom ``to back off and let a criminal agency pursue their case.'' Tr. 
210. Without interviewing CI, the Mississippi Board closed its 
investigation. Tr. 196. Ross also helped author part of Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.5, which regulates diet medication prescriptions 
in Mississippi. Tr. 172. Ross established the foundation for the Court 
to take official notice of Mississippi Administrative Rules 1.1, 1.2, 
1.4, 1.10, and 1.16. Tr. 188-93. Additionally, while Ross did not 
conduct the Mississippi Board's investigation of the Respondent, she 
supervised Todd Pohnert, who conducted the investigation. Tr. 170, 173. 
Ross served administrative subpoenas for information about the 
Respondent to two Mississippi pharmacies, one in McComb and one in 
Brookhaven. Tr. 185. I find that Ross' testimony was thorough, 
detailed, and internally consistent. Therefore, I merit her testimony 
as credible in this Recommended Decision. Through Ross' testimony, the 
Government authenticated and successfully offered into evidence GE-3 
and 8. Tr. 171-78. I find these exhibits to be accurate, authentic, and 
meriting credibility. Furthermore, through Ross' testimony, the 
Government established some foundation for GE-7 and 55. Tr. 185-88.
    Seventh, the Government called CI. Tr. 212. CI testified about her 
relationship with the Respondent and

[[Page 54830]]

how and why she obtained controlled substance prescriptions from him. 
Tr. 212-31.\6\ Through CI's testimony, the Respondent admitted GE-49, 
56, and 57. Tr. 284, 300-03, 335-38. I find these exhibits to be 
generally accurate, authentic, and meriting credibility. I also find 
that CI's testimony was generally forthright, internally consistent, 
and generally merited credibility \7\ in this Recommended Decision.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ The Respondent asked CI extensively about an exhibit, pre-
marked for identification as Respondent's Exhibit (``RE-'') 1. See 
generally Tr. 231-73. However, the Respondent never offered RE-1 
into evidence. Therefore, the contents of RE-1 are not considered in 
this Recommended Decision.
    \7\ There were some inconsistencies in CI's lengthy testimony. 
First, when asked if she paid cash for prescriptions from the 
Respondent, CI answered that she believed she always used insurance. 
Tr. 360. However, CI's Prescription Monitoring Program report shows 
that, in 2014, CI paid for prescriptions from the Respondent with 
cash 15 times, and used her insurance only 5 times. See GE-49, at 1-
3. Second, CI suggested that it was the Respondent's idea for CI to 
send a friend into his office to get prescriptions for her. Tr. 345-
47. However, audio recordings of the Respondent's telephone calls 
with CI suggest that it was CI's idea for her to send a friend into 
the Respondent's office to get prescriptions for CI. See GE-16, file 
2015-03-16_18-51-48_EDT, at 20-21; GE-16, file 2015-03-18_11-03-
33_EDT, at 2. Third, CI testified that the Respondent only conducted 
a physical examination of her one time. Tr. 322. The Respondent's 
patient file for CI seems to indicate, however, that the Respondent 
gave CI some sort of examination on both April 21 and September 2 of 
2014. GE-2, at 12. In these three instances, I do not find CI's 
testimony credible.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Eighth, the Government called James Pacheco (``Pacheco''). Tr. 385. 
Pacheco is an agent for the MBN and a task force officer for the DEA's 
Tactical Diversion Squad. Tr. 386. Pacheco participated in the 
undercover investigation of the Respondent by coordinating the 
surveillance aspect of the investigation. Tr. 388. Pacheco assisted 
with physical surveillance of the Respondent and CI during an 
undercover operation at a Walmart on April 8, 2015. Tr. 388-89. Pacheco 
personally observed most of the operation at Walmart. Tr. 389. Pacheco 
also testified that he listened to the undercover operation conducted 
at the Respondent's clinic in October 2015. Tr. 406-07. Through 
Pacheco's testimony, the Government authenticated and successfully 
offered into evidence GE-22 and 23. Tr. 387-93. I find these exhibits 
to be accurate, authentic, and meriting credibility. I also find that 
Pacheco's testimony was thorough, detailed, and internally consistent. 
Therefore, I merit his testimony as credible in this Recommended 
Decision.
    The Government's ninth witness was Maria Gilbert (``Gilbert''). Tr. 
409. Gilbert is a DEA diversion investigator, and was a case agent in 
the investigation of the Respondent. Tr. 409-10. Gilbert helped submit 
the evidence acquired by the undercover agents into a DEA evidence 
locker. Tr. 440. Gilbert also directed DEA personnel to obtain 
Prescription Monitoring Program (``PMP'') reports during the 
investigation. Tr. 438. Gilbert created the administrative subpoenas 
issued to pharmacies to obtain information about the Respondent. Tr. 
412. Gilbert helped conduct an administrative search of the 
Respondent's office. Tr. 427-28. Through Gilbert's testimony, the 
Government authenticated and successfully offered into evidence GE-7, 
41, 48, 50 through 52, 55, and 58 through 60. Tr. 411-18, 427-39. I 
find these exhibits to be accurate, uncontested, and meriting 
credibility. I also find that Gilbert's testimony was thorough, 
detailed, and internally consistent. Therefore, I merit her testimony 
as credible in this Recommended Decision.
    The Respondent did not call any witnesses or offer any of his 
proposed exhibits into evidence. Tr. 458.
    The factual findings below are based on a preponderance of the 
evidence, including the detailed, credible, and competent testimony of 
the aforementioned witnesses, the exhibits entered into evidence, and 
the record before me.

FACTUAL FINDINGS

    1. The Respondent has not previously been convicted of any crime 
related to controlled substances. GE-1, at 1. The Respondent has never 
had his state medical license revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, 
or placed on probation. GE-1, at 1.
The Respondent's Relationship with CI
    2. The Respondent and CI became Facebook friends and began talking 
with each other in January 2014. Tr. 213, 237. CI asked the Respondent 
questions about the health of Kid 1.\8\ Tr. 213-14, 246-47, 261-62. The 
Respondent performed a tonsillectomy on Kid 1 and placed tubes in his 
ears on January 30, 2014. GE-57, at 13, 19-20; Tr. 219, 235, 285. 
Following Kid 1's tonsillectomy, CI asked the Respondent for medication 
for Kid 1's medical condition; the Respondent was willing to write 
prescriptions for Kid 1. GE-57, at 5-6; Tr. 246-47, 249. Around that 
time, CI and the Respondent became friends and began texting and 
talking on the phone. Tr. 213-14, 240.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ See Stipulation (``Stip.'') 4; see also ALJ-9, at 5.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. In the spring of 2014, CI and the Respondent began to have a 
consensual sexual relationship. Tr. 213, 218-19, 290-92, 296, 359. 
During the summer of 2014, CI and the Respondent saw each other very 
often. Tr. 324. CI and the Respondent communicated frequently by 
texting and calling each other on their cell phones. Tr. 355-56.
    4. CI engaged in a sexual affair with the Respondent because she 
was infatuated with him and because she wanted to obtain controlled 
substances for her recreational use. Tr. 291-92. The controlled 
substances, however, were not a prerequisite for sexual relations. Tr. 
289.
    5. The sexual relationship between CI and the Respondent ended in 
November 2014. Tr. 219.

A. The Respondent's Medical Treatment of CI and Her Children

    6. The Respondent provided medical treatment to CI several times, 
beginning in 2010. GE-2, at 12-13; Tr. 215, 277. Specifically, the 
Respondent treated CI for a sinus infection, vertigo, and migraines. 
GE-2, at 12-13; Tr. 215, 277-78, 287, 321. CI had a serious migraine 
condition that caused her to seek treatment in emergency rooms on four 
occasions. Tr. 278-80, 347. CI discussed her migraines and 
hospitalizations with the Respondent, who gave her information about 
migraines. Tr. 282, 287. The Respondent prescribed Maxalt \9\ to CI to 
treat her migraines. GE-2, at 12; Tr. 215-16, 283.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ Maxalt, or rizatriptan benzoate, is not a federally 
controlled substance. See generally 21 CFR Sec. Sec.  1308.11-
1308.15 (2015).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    7. The Respondent had a patient file for CI and wrote notes therein 
about her treatment. See GE-2, at 12-13. The Respondent conducted two 
physical examinations of CI, once when he was treating her for a sinus 
infection, and again when he was treating her for a migraine 
headache.\10\ GE-2, at 12-13; Tr. 322. The Respondent also requested a 
CT \11\ sinus scan for CI in 2014. GE-2, at 12, 14. A CT scan showed 
that CI's sinuses were ``clear [and] scant thickening in LNF duct.'' 
GE-2, at 14.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ See supra note 7.
    \11\ Computerized tomography.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    8. CI took Kid 1 and Kid 2 to appointments with the Respondent. Tr. 
219, 261-62, 285-86, 335-36, 338; see, e.g., GE-56, at 3-4; GE-57, at 
6, 9-10. The Respondent conducted legitimate medical procedures on both 
children and saw the children for follow-up appointments. GE-56, at 3-
4; GE-57, at 5-6; Tr. 219, 261-62.
    9. CI sent the Respondent at least one message via social media 
requesting his medical advice about Kid 1's condition. Tr. 262-63. CI 
communicated with the Respondent about the physical

[[Page 54831]]

condition of her children to get his medical advice. Tr. 263-65.
    10. Near a date stamp reading ``February 4, 2014,'' the Respondent 
recorded in Kid 1's medical file that CI had migraines, that she may 
call in for a prescription if needed, and that he discussed phentermine 
\12\ with her. GE-57, at 6; see Tr. 286. The Respondent's patient file 
for CI also contains a telephone request form, dated July 18, 2014, and 
signed by the Respondent, which states that CI requested a phentermine 
refill. GE-2, at 15. CI's patient file, however, does not note any 
reasons that the Respondent prescribed phentermine to CI. See GE-2, at 
12-13.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \12\ CI denied asking the Respondent for phentermine in February 
2014. Tr. 286-88. Phentermine is another name for Adipex. See Stip. 
8; Tr. 288.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. CI's Drug Use

    11. Prior to her relationship with the Respondent, CI took 
controlled substances, including hydrocodone, which were prescribed by 
numerous other doctors to help treat pain resulting from four 
lithotripsies, kidney stones, a broken tailbone, a root canal, and TMJ 
\13\. GE-49, at 2; Tr. 214, 275-76, 304-09. CI told the Respondent 
about these prescriptions. Tr. 309.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \13\ Temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or lockjaw.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    12. CI occasionally used Adderall for nonmedicinal purposes. Tr. 
215. CI had not used cough syrup for nonmedicinal purposes prior to her 
relationship with the Respondent. Tr. 215.
    13. After Kid 1 had his tonsils removed on January 30, 2014, CI 
took some of Kid 1's pain medication. Tr. 273-74, 276. As a result of 
the tonsillectomy, the Respondent prescribed two different forms of 
hydrocodone for Kid 1. GE-51, at 1; GE-57, at 6, 14, 22.
    14. The Respondent first prescribed cough syrup for Kid 2 on 
January 24, 2014. GE-50, at 1; GE-56, at 4. The Respondent again 
prescribed cough syrup for Kid 2 in February 2014. Tr. 216, 258-59; GE-
50, at 1; GE-56, at 4. The Respondent did not examine Kid 2 before he 
prescribed cough syrup for her. Tr. 217, 251; see GE-56, at 4.
    15. CI talked with the Respondent about prescribing a ``big 
bottle'' of cough syrup so that CI could drink it. Tr. 216, 251-52, 
268, 273. CI thought that the Respondent knew she did not have a cough. 
Tr. 216, 251-52, 268. In February 2014, CI asked the Respondent to 
prescribe \14\ a ``big bottle'' of hydrocodone cough syrup for Kid 2. 
Tr. 216-17, 250, 252-53, 259. At that time, CI told the Respondent that 
Kid 2 had a cough. Tr. 250-51, 253-55. On February 7, 2014, the 
Respondent doubled the size of Kid 2's prescription for cough syrup. 
GE-50, at 1; GE-55, at 1-2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ CI later testified that this was a refill of a prescription 
written by the Respondent. Tr. 272-73.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    16. CI told the Respondent when Kid 1 or Kid 2 had a cough. Tr. 
250. CI, however, did not bring her children to see the Respondent 
regarding a cough; she requested cough syrup from the Respondent 
because she liked drinking it. Tr. 220, 273; see generally GE-56, at 3-
4; GE-57, at 5-6.
    17. The Respondent prescribed Norco, Xanax, and Adipex to CI on 
multiple occasions. Tr. 26; GE-49. The Respondent prescribed Norco \15\ 
to CI, which she took daily instead of as needed. Tr. 297. CI took 
hydrocodone ``[j]ust for fun.'' Tr. 298. CI would tell the Respondent 
when she ran low on a prescription, and he would give her another 
prescription.\16\ Tr. 298-99. He advised her that hydrocodone could 
cause migraines. Tr. 298-99.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \15\ Norco is a hydrocodone combination product. See Stip. 5.
    \16\ Specifically, CI testified that when she ran low on a 
prescription, the Respondent would refill it. Tr. 298-99. Refills 
are not authorized for hydrocodone combination products, such as 
Norco. Compare 21 U.S.C. Sec.  829(a), with Stip. 6. The record does 
not contain any evidence that the Respondent attempted to give CI a 
refill on a hydrocodone combination product. Therefore, I interpret 
CI's statement as meaning that whenever she ran low on a 
prescription, she would tell the Respondent, and he would issue 
another prescription to her.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    18. On several occasions, the Respondent provided prescriptions to 
CI while he was at CI's house. Tr. 217-18; see Tr. 26. On those 
occasions, the Respondent did not communicate a diagnosis to CI or 
perform a physical examination of CI. Tr. 218. Sometimes, CI took her 
children to appointments with the Respondent as an excuse to see the 
Respondent, who would then occasionally give prescriptions to CI. Tr. 
219-20. On one occasion, the Respondent met CI in the garden section of 
a Walmart, where he gave her prescriptions for cough syrup and pain 
medication. Tr. 218.
    19. At times, CI told the Respondent about her children's pain or 
physical conditions to get prescriptions for her own personal use. Tr. 
267. CI would occasionally administer the prescribed medication to her 
children. Tr. 270-72.
    20. CI requested that the Respondent write a prescription for 
Adderall for her, but he declined to do so. Tr. 223. In the spring of 
2014, CI asked the Respondent to write her a prescription for Adipex, a 
weight loss drug. Tr. 223-24, 288-89. The Respondent wrote 
prescriptions and refills for Adipex to CI. GE-49, at 1-2; Tr. 223-24. 
CI used Adipex for approximately three months. Tr. 224. The Respondent 
did not conduct a physical examination of CI focused on weight issues 
at any point before or while CI took Adipex, and the Respondent did not 
discuss alternative weight loss treatments with CI. Tr. 224-25; see GE-
2, at 12-13.
    21. CI had anxiety, which she discussed with the Respondent. Tr. 
322. The Respondent told her to visit a certain psychiatrist. Tr. 225, 
295. CI visited that psychiatrist twice. Tr. 225. The psychiatrist 
prescribed a low dosage of time-release Xanax \17\. Tr. 225, 295, 304; 
see GE-49, at 1. The Respondent then prescribed \18\ a stronger dosage 
of Xanax to CI. Tr. 226; see GE-49, at 1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \17\ Xanax is a brand name for alprazolam, which is a 
benzodiazepine and a Schedule IV controlled substance. Stip. 7; see 
21 CFR Sec.  1308.14(c)(2); Tr. 304.
    \18\ CI testified that this prescription was a refill 
prescription, but that it was for a different dosage. Tr. 295-96.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    22. The Respondent wrote nine prescriptions \19\ to CI, contained 
in GE-7 and 41, which are not documented in the Respondent's patient 
file for CI. Compare GE-2, at 12-13 (containing the Respondent's 
patient file for CI), with GE-7, at 1-2 (containing a prescription 
written by the Respondent to CI), and GE-41 (containing prescriptions 
written by the Respondent and filled by CI), and GE-49 (containing CI's 
PMP report); see Tr. 364-77. The Respondent's patient file for CI does 
not include any notes from any examinations on the dates on which the 
Respondent wrote these nine prescriptions. GE-2, at 12-13. CI did not 
have a physical examination or receive counseling before the Respondent 
gave her any of these prescriptions. Tr. 384; see GE-2, at 12-13.\20\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \19\ Seven of these prescriptions, written to CI in 2014, were 
as follows: May 19 for Adipex; May 22 for Norco; June 17 for Norco; 
July 24 for Adipex; September 8 for Adipex; September 11 for Norco; 
and October 6 for Xanax. Compare GE-2, at 12-13, with GE-41, at 1-7, 
12-13, and 18-23, and GE-49. The Respondent wrote another 
prescription for Adipex to CI on April 9, 2014. Compare GE-2, at 12-
13, with GE-7, at 1-2, and GE-49. The Respondent also wrote a 
prescription for Hycodan to CI, dated December 3, 2014, but CI's PMP 
report said that the prescription was written on December 4, 2014. 
Compare GE-41, at 28-29, with GE-49. Regardless of when this 
prescription was actually written, it was not documented in CI's 
patient file. See GE-2, at 12-13.
    \20\ CI testified about a prescription that is not in GE-41. Tr. 
364, 369-70. The prescription allegedly was written in her name by 
the Respondent. Tr. 369-70. The prescription allegedly was dated 
October 29, 2014. Tr. 369-70. The Respondent's PMP report likewise 
lists a prescription for hydrocodone-acetaminophen (Norco) 
prescribed by the Respondent on October 29, 2014. GE-49, at 1. 
However, neither of the two copies of GE-41 submitted to me includes 
this prescription. Examination of both submitted copies of GE-41 
reveals that no pages of GE-41 are missing. At the hearing, however, 
Government counsel provided CI with an excerpt of what he said was 
``part of Exhibit 41,'' and he provided the Respondent and the ALJ 
with a copy of what was handed to the witness. Tr. 364. That excerpt 
has now been included in the administrative record as ALJ-29. 
Comparing ALJ-29 with GE-41, I have determined that the witness did, 
in fact, examine a prescription dated October 29, 2014. That 
prescription, however, was never offered into evidence. Furthermore, 
the witness was never asked if the prescription, dated October 29, 
2014, refreshed her memory of having received the prescription. 
Accordingly, I decline to find that the Government presented 
sufficient evidence to establish that the Respondent wrote a 
prescription to CI on October 29, 2014. Following the hearing, the 
parties were provided with copies of ALJ-29.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 54832]]

    23. Two prescriptions written by the Respondent to Kid 1 are not 
documented in Kid 1's medical chart. Compare GE-51 (containing Kid 1's 
PMP report and listing prescriptions from June 17 and November 19 of 
2014), and GE-55, at 3-4, 11-12 (containing prescriptions from June 17 
and November 19 of 2014), with GE-57 (containing Kid 1's medical file, 
which does not include any examination or prescription notes for June 
17 or November 19 of 2014); see also Tr. 377-81. Likewise, a 
prescription written by the Respondent to Kid 2 is not documented in 
Kid 2's medical chart. Compare GE-50 (containing Kid 2's PMP report and 
listing a prescription written on July 23, 2014), and GE-55, at 5-6 
(containing a prescription dated July 23, 2014), with GE-56 (containing 
Kid 2's medical file, which does not include any examination notes or 
prescription notes for July 23, 2013).
    24. On one occasion in early fall of 2014, following CI's complaint 
of a severe migraine, the Respondent prescribed Demerol to CI. Tr. 222, 
296-97, 317-18, 382. Next to the date ``September 2, 2014'' in CI's 
medical chart, the Respondent wrote that he refilled her prescription 
of phentermine, looked at her ears and nose, and counselled her. GE-2, 
at 12; Tr. 323. He also wrote that he prescribed Demerol and Xanax to 
CI. GE-2, at 12. CI did not ask the Respondent for Demerol. Tr. 296, 
318.
    25. CI's husband discovered that CI was having an affair with the 
Respondent. Tr. 26, 320. Sometime after the discovery, in December 
2014, CI attempted suicide using the Demerol the Respondent prescribed 
to her. Tr. 222, 314-17. CI went to a mental institution for a week 
following her suicide attempt. Tr. 227, 309. In January 2015, CI told 
the Respondent that she had tried to kill herself. Tr. 226-27, 309-11.

C. The MBN Complaint

    26. After CI's husband discovered the affair and CI attempted to 
commit suicide, CI and her husband made a complaint against the 
Respondent to the MBN. Tr. 25, 29-31, 71, 228-29, 339-40. CI told MBN 
investigators that she got medications from the Respondent for 
nonmedicinal purposes because she enjoyed using them. Tr. 84.

D. The Anonymous Letter

    27. The Mississippi Board received an unsigned letter, allegedly 
from CI's husband, which complained about the extramarital affair 
between CI and the Respondent. GE-3, at 3; Tr. 58, 66. The Mississippi 
Board and MBN both received a copy of the letter. Tr. 66-67, 70-71, 
398-99. Several witnesses testified that CI's husband was not the 
author of this letter. Tr. 67-70, 326, 394, 396. The author of the 
letter is unknown. Tr. 67-70, 201, 326, 394-95.
    28. The letter was written in the first person, and CI's husband's 
name was typewritten on the bottom of the letter, along with CI's date 
of birth and social security number. GE-3, at 3. The letter said that 
the author's wife, CI, had an affair with the Respondent for over a 
year, and that the author did not know about it until he found a box of 
empty pill bottles that the Respondent had prescribed to CI, even 
though CI was not his patient. GE-3, at 3. The letter was stamped as 
received by the Mississippi Board on February 19, 2015. GE-3, at 3.
    29. By the time the MBN received a copy of the letter, it had 
already begun its investigation of the Respondent because of the 
complaint made by CI and her husband. Tr. 71, 74-76. After receiving a 
copy of the letter, the Mississippi Board began conducting an 
independent investigation of the Respondent. Tr. 58, 61, 203.

E. The Mississippi Board Investigation

    30. A Mississippi Board investigator met with the Respondent 
regarding the anonymous letter. GE-3, at 4-6. At that time, the 
Mississippi Board was unaware that the DEA was conducting a 
simultaneous investigation of the Respondent. Tr. 180.
    31. In response to the investigator's inquiry, the Respondent said 
that he only saw CI when she or her children had appointments, and had 
not seen CI outside of his office. GE-3, at 5; Tr. 179, 202. The 
Respondent suggested that he had not engaged in sexual misconduct with 
CI. GE-3, at 5; Tr. 180, 207. The Respondent also suggested that he was 
not aware that CI had attempted to commit suicide or had been committed 
to a mental hospital. GE-3, at 5, 7.
    32. The investigator made copies of CI's patient charts and found 
several shortcomings with CI's medical records. GE-3, at 4-5; Tr. 180, 
197. First, the investigator found seven prescriptions in CI's PMP 
report that were not documented in the Respondent's patient file for 
CI. GE-3, at 5. The Respondent explained that he might have documented 
the missing prescriptions in his patient files for CI's children 
instead. GE-3, at 5.
    33. Second, the investigator found that CI's patient file did not 
include any notes about CI's vitals, height/weight, BMI, or alternative 
weight control treatment plans, and did not indicate that CI received 
any counseling about other weight loss options. GE-3, at 5; Tr. 180.
    34. Following the investigator's visit, the Mississippi Board sent 
the Respondent a copy of the anonymous letter purportedly from CI's 
husband.\21\ See GE-2, at 6-8. The investigator told the Respondent 
that he should send a letter to the Mississippi Board as a follow-up 
from the investigator's visit. GE-3, at 5; Tr. 179.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \21\ The handwritten notation on the bottom of the letter was 
likely added by a Mississippi Board investigator. Tr. 87; see GE-2, 
at 6.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    35. The Respondent sent a letter to the Mississippi Board. GE-3, at 
7-8; Tr. 179-80. Therein, the Respondent denied knowing that CI had 
overdosed.\22\ GE-3, at 7; Tr. 180. The Respondent stated that he was 
``appalled, outraged, and disgusted'' by the anonymous letter's 
allegations. GE-3, at 7; Tr. 208. The Respondent wrote that the 
medications CI used to overdose ``were legitimately prescribed for 
valid medical problems.'' GE-3, at 7. The Respondent wrote that he was 
unaware that CI had received controlled substances from other 
prescribers and that CI did not show ``any hint of drug-seeking 
behavior.'' GE-3, at 7. The Respondent acknowledged that he should not 
refill medications for a parent during a child's visit without pulling 
the parent's chart, and said that he would not do so in the future. GE-
3, at 7. The Respondent stated that he would not refill diet drugs for 
patients in the future without completing the appropriate 
documentation. GE-3, at 7.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \22\ Specifically, the Respondent wrote that he was ``sorry to 
learn that [CI] may have deliberately taken an overdose.'' GE-3, at 
7.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    36. The Mississippi Board contemplated closing its investigation of 
the Respondent because it did not have enough evidence supporting the 
allegations of the Respondent's sexual misconduct. Tr. 181, 184, 194-
95, 197, 209-10. Throughout the course of its investigation, however, 
the Mississippi Board never interviewed CI. Tr. 196.
    37. On March 20, 2015, while the Mississippi Board was 
contemplating closing its investigation, Flinchum

[[Page 54833]]

contacted the Mississippi Board and requested, on the DEA's behalf, 
that the Mississippi Board discontinue its investigation of, and 
communication with, the Respondent. GE-3, at 2; Tr. 60-61, 181, 209. 
The Mississippi Board customarily will discontinue an investigation to 
allow a criminal agency to pursue a case. Tr. 210.
    38. The Mississippi Board closed its investigation of the 
Respondent on March 23, 2015. GE-3, at 1; Tr. 181. A letter from the 
Mississippi Board to the Respondent terminated the Board's 
investigation. GE-3 at 1; Tr. 183. The letter stated that the 
Mississippi Board concluded its investigation and that, after a 
thorough review of the information and facts from the investigation, it 
decided not to recommend any formal action. GE-3, at 1. This letter was 
a truthful and accurate reflection of the Board's reasons for 
terminating the investigation. Tr. 64-65, 86, 195-97.
    39. The letter also cautioned the Respondent against ``authorizing 
refills for Phentermine/Adipex without benefit of a medical 
examination.'' GE-3, at 1 (discussing Mississippi Administrative Rule 
1.5(E)).
    40. The letter told the Respondent that the Mississippi Board had 
found some deficiencies with his medical records. Tr. 181, 183-84, 203. 
The letter did not exonerate the Respondent, but warned him about his 
inadequate documentation of weight loss prescriptions. Tr. 184, 203.

F. DEA Undercover Operations

    41. The DEA began undercover operations concerning the Respondent 
in March 2015. Tr. 77-78.
    42. CI was told that if she cooperated with law enforcement, she 
would not be in any trouble. Tr. 342-43. CI signed a confidential 
informant agreement with the DEA. Tr. 343-44, 394.
    43. The DEA instructed CI not to have any contact \23\ with the 
Respondent unless the DEA supervised the contact. Tr. 350. CI did not 
comply with this instruction and met the Respondent one time without 
DEA's supervision. Tr. 353, 358.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \23\ The DEA did not ask CI to attend an undercover appointment 
with the Respondent because CI had a physical relationship with the 
Respondent, and because CI said that she was addicted to cough 
syrup. Tr. 400.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    44. With CI's consent, the DEA gave CI a telephone number that 
recorded all calls and text messages exchanged between CI and the 
Respondent. Tr. 37-38, 84-85, 230. This telephone number operated 
through an application that the DEA installed on CI's cellular phone. 
Tr. 382. This application automatically recorded all calls, 
conversations, and multimedia messages exchanged between CI and the 
Respondent. Tr. 37-38, 85-86.
    45. CI called and texted the Respondent outside of the presence of 
MBN and DEA agents. Tr. 85-86. The DEA did not tell CI what to say to 
the Respondent. Tr. 85-86.

i. Interactions Between the Respondent and CI Before the

First Undercover Appointment

    46. The DEA agents asked CI to contact the Respondent by phone or 
by text message and ask him for Norco and cough syrup. Tr. 346, 348-49.
    47. On March 16, 2015, at approximately 6:51 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-15-16. CI asked the Respondent to meet 
her at Walmart and give her a prescription for something. GE-16, file 
2015-03-16_18-51-48_EDT, at 19; see Tr. 345. The Respondent said he 
could not do that because the Mississippi Board was watching him and he 
could go to jail or lose his license. GE-16, file 2015-03-16_18-51-
48_EDT, at 19-20; see Tr. 230, 345-47. He said that everything he had 
prescribed to CI was legitimate and written in her chart. GE-16, file 
2015-03-16_18-51-48_EDT, at 20. After CI again asked the Respondent 
several times to give her a prescription, CI asked him instead to write 
a prescription for someone else.\24\ Id. The Respondent said he could 
prescribe to anyone who came into his office, and what they did with 
their prescriptions was ``their business,'' but that it had ``to be a 
legitimate thing.'' Id. at 21. CI asked him multiple times to write 
prescriptions for her, but in different names, and the Respondent said 
he could not do so without someone coming for a visit and having a 
chart. Id. The Respondent said he could ``probably pilfer'' some 
medication from his wife for CI. Id. at 22. CI repeatedly asked the 
Respondent to get her some controlled substances, and the Respondent 
repeatedly said he would see what he could do. Id. at 24-26.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \24\ Contra Tr. 346; see supra note 7.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    48. On March 17, 2015, at approximately 1:07 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-15-16. CI asked the Respondent to slip 
``a couple Lorcets'' into her mailbox. GE-16, file 2015-03-17_13-07-
36_EDT, at 4. The Respondent joked, ``I need to learn to play the 
guitar so you could be getting sex, drugs and rock and roll, you 
know.'' Id. CI asked the Respondent to ``sneak [her] some meds.'' Id. 
at 7. The Respondent said, ``I've got your request and I'm telling you 
that is highly, highly dangerous for me.'' Id.
    49. On March 18, 2015, at approximately 11:03 a.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-15-16. CI suggested that the Respondent 
could write a prescription in Kid 1's name. GE-16, file 2015-03-18_11-
03-33_EDT, at 1. The Respondent responded sarcastically and attempted 
to change the subject. Id. at 1-2. CI said that she really needed him 
to find a way to write her a prescription. Id. at 2. The Respondent 
said he did not know how to do that. Id. CI suggested that he could 
write a prescription in someone else's name. Id. The Respondent said he 
would ``have to have somebody that's legitimate'' and ``what they did 
with the medicine[,] that was up to them . . . somebody that's 
trustworthy.'' Id. at 3. The Respondent indicated that it was like a 
``federal crime when you write medicine to--that are diverted to 
somebody else.'' Id. CI said that the Respondent used to write her 
prescriptions ``all the time.'' Id. The Respondent said, ``Yeah, but I 
wrote it for you.'' Id. CI recalled that the Respondent ``used to bring 
[his] prescription pad over and a bottle of vodka,'' and that she 
``miss[ed] those days.'' Id. The Respondent replied, ``I know, me 
too.'' Id. The Respondent joked with CI that it was good to have a 
boyfriend with a prescription pad. Id. at 4.
    50. On March 25, 2015, at approximately 10:36 a.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-17, at 1-5.\25\ CI asked the Respondent 
if he would write a prescription to another person. GE-17, at 2. The 
Respondent remarked that it was dangerous and it would have to be to an 
established patient; he suggested that she get another doctor to write 
a prescription for her. GE-17, at 2. CI insisted, and the Respondent 
said ``it has to be legitimate'' and for a ``legitimate patient'' 
because the Mississippi Board was watching him. GE-17, at 2. The 
Respondent said he could treat a patient for CI if the patient had 
headaches and anxiety. GE-17, at 3. The Respondent said, ``what he does 
with 'em is his business.'' GE-17, at 3. CI asked the Respondent if he 
would write something to her friend who came in with a headache; the 
Respondent said, ``Yeah, I could write him something.'' GE-17, at 3. CI 
clarified that the prescription would really be for her, and requested 
that he prescribe ``Lorcet or something;'' the Respondent said, ``Yeah, 
I could write him some--

[[Page 54834]]

yeah, some stuff like that.'' GE-17, at 3. The Respondent cautioned CI 
that taking too many Lorcet or Demerol would be harmful and painful to 
her. GE-17, at 4. CI said she just wanted ``some pain pills from [her] 
boyfriend.'' GE-17, at 4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \25\ See GE-16, file 2015-03-25_10-36-40_EDT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    51. On March 25, 2015, at approximately 11:43 a.m., the Respondent 
texted CI, ``I won't be in the office tomorrow. I could see her 
Friday.'' GE-53, file 2015-03-25_11-43-42_EDT. CI texted back, ``Ok:) 
she is a real cool girl. I use [sic] to party with her.'' GE-53, file 
2015-03-25_11-47-23_EDT; see Tr. 349.
    52. On March 25, 2015, at approximately 2:36 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-17, at 6-8.\26\ The Respondent asked CI 
for her friend's name. GE-17, at 6-8. CI told the Respondent the alias 
first name of Agent 1. GE-17, at 6-7. The Respondent said, ``If she's 
coming in for what I think she's coming in, tell her not to tell me 
that. That needs to be your secret. I don't wanna know that. She needs 
to have a headache and I will treat her for a headache, and so [I] 
don't mind giving her prescriptions to treat a headache.'' GE-17, at 7. 
The Respondent discussed the medications he could prescribe to Agent 1 
and told CI that they ``would be perfectly appropriate for you to 
take.'' GE-17, at 7; see Tr. 349 (noting that the Respondent knew that 
Agent 1 was not a real patient and that medication prescribed to Agent 
1 would be given to CI).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \26\ See GE-16, file 2015-03-25_14-36-02_EDT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    53. On March 26, 2015, at approximately 11:18 a.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-18.\27\ CI told the Respondent that Agent 
1 had an appointment with him ``tomorrow at 2:00--2:10, I think.'' GE-
18, at 3. The Respondent replied, ``Okay. We'll see if we can't get my 
girlfriend fixed up.'' GE-18, at 3. The Respondent said CI should 
remind Agent 1 to ``play it straight'' and tell the Respondent what he 
to needed to write on a chart to ``keep the medical examiners at bay . 
. . .'' GE-18, at 3. CI asked him if he would prescribe Norco to Agent 
1. GE-18, at 3. The Respondent said, ``Yeah, I'll write her Norco and 
some more Maxalt, and then you can have some Maxalt also. Just remember 
to hide it.'' GE-18, at 3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \27\ See GE-16, file 2015-03-26_11-18-28_EDT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    54. Based on Findings of Fact 47 through 53 and the transcript at 
pages 91, 230, and 349, I find that, by the time the Respondent met 
with Agent 1 on March 27, 2015, the Respondent knew that Agent 1 was 
not a legitimate patient and that any medication he prescribed to her 
at that appointment would be given to and used by CI.

ii. Undercover Appointment #1: March 27, 2015

    55. Agent 1's first appointment with the Respondent was on March 
27, 2015. GE-10; Tr. 91. Upon arriving at the Respondent's clinic, 
Agent 1 signed in, completed paperwork, and waited in the Respondent's 
waiting room. GE-9; Tr. 92. The Respondent's nurse called Agent 1 back 
into an examination room and spoke briefly with her. GE-9; Tr. 92, 94.
    56. Agent 1 met with the Respondent. GE-9-10; Tr. 91; see GE-59 
(containing the Respondent's patient file for Agent 1). The appointment 
lasted approximately seven minutes. GE-9. When the Respondent asked 
Agent 1 what her problem was, she told him, ``Just kind of a whole head 
thang [sic].'' GE-10, at 1; Tr. 94. The Respondent asked Agent 1 how 
long her head had been bothering her, and she indicated just a few 
days. GE-9-10. The Respondent quickly looked into Agent 1's ears, nose, 
and throat. GE-9-10; Tr. 94, 132. The Respondent asked her if she was 
dizzy, nauseous, or taking other medication. GE-9-10. He advised her 
that Maxalt works well for sinus headaches and gave her instructions 
for taking her prescriptions. GE-9-10. The Respondent did not 
communicate any diagnosis to Agent 1, nor did he record a diagnosis in 
her patient file.\28\ GE-9-10; GE-59, at 4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \28\ The Respondent's March 27, 2015 notes in Agent 1's patient 
file mention photophobia. GE-59, at 4. The transcript and recording 
of the office visit, however, contain no mention of photophobia or 
any discussion of the symptoms of photophobia. GE-9-10.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    57. Agent 1 asked the Respondent if he could help her with her 
weight loss. GE-9-10. The Respondent declined to prescribe anything for 
weight loss to Agent 1; he said that it was not his area of expertise 
and it was heavily regulated by the Mississippi Board. GE-10, at 2. He 
recommended that she could go to a licensed diet center for assistance. 
GE-10, at 3.
    58. The Respondent wrote two prescriptions for Agent 1: one non-
refillable prescription for Norco, and one refillable prescription for 
Maxalt. GE-11-12; Tr. 95. The Respondent told Agent 1 that he would 
give her ``lots of refills'' on the Maxalt. GE-10, at 1.
    59. That same day, CI and the Respondent had a phone conversation 
about the Respondent's meeting with CI's ``friend,'' Agent 1. GE-13-14; 
GE-20, file Post Buy CI Call With STEWART 3-27-2015. The Respondent 
said he enjoyed meeting Agent 1 and that he was ``hopeful that that 
helps'' CI. GE-14, at 1. CI said that she could get through because the 
Respondent ``hooked'' her up. GE-14, at 1. The Respondent responded, 
``absolutely that needs to be about as discreet as [unintelligible].'' 
GE-14, at 1. The Respondent told CI to ``not take that other stuff but 
one at a time.'' GE-14, at 1. He said that, during Agent 1's 
appointment, he ``talked about headaches and pretty much left it 
exactly at that.'' GE-14, at 1. The Respondent told CI, ``[s]o um you 
got refills on that Maxalt. Um she does,'' and noted that he could not 
give refills ``on the other one . . ..'' GE-14, at 2.

iii. Interactions Between the Respondent and CI Between the First and 
Second Undercover Appointments

    60. On April 1, 2015, at approximately 8:28 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-19.\29\ CI said that she spent time with 
Agent 1. GE-19, at 1. The Respondent asked her, ``So that all went 
smooth with getting your medicine and all that?'' GE-19, at 1; see Tr. 
230-31. CI said she might need some more. GE-19, at 1. The Respondent 
said he was glad he could help and that it was ``just because of'' the 
Mississippi Board complaint that ``it just has to be straight up and 
clean.'' GE-19, at 1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \29\ See GE-16, file 2015-04-01_20-28-54_EDT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    61. On April 2, 2015, at approximately 2:15 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-16, file 2015-04-02_14-15-50_EDT. CI told 
the Respondent that Agent 1 would come back and that she ``took all'' 
after CI ``halved some with her.'' Id. CI asked the Respondent if he 
could ``give her a little bit more if she'd come back in.'' Id. at 1. 
The Respondent replied, ``I can do that.'' Id. at 2. The Respondent 
asked if ``she'' really had migraines. Id. CI said ``no'' and laughed. 
Id. The Respondent laughed too and said he was just wondering because 
there were a lot of refills. Id. The Respondent said, ``[l]ong as we 
don't get outta hand. Just be sure to keep 'em really hidden.'' Id.
    62. On April 2, 2015, at approximately 3:04 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-16, file 2015-04-02_15-04-43_EDT. CI 
asked the Respondent whether he could write her ``80'' if someone came 
in to see him. Id. at 1. The Respondent said he could not because it 
would be a red flag, and that ``40 is a pretty substantial number.'' 
Id. at 1-2. The Respondent joked that CI should tell her husband that 
he messed up CI's ``drug

[[Page 54835]]

connection'' when he filed the complaint. Id. at 2.
    63. On April 6, 2015, at approximately 8:59 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-16, file 2015-04-06_20-59-35_EDT. CI told 
the Respondent that she had talked to Agent 1, who was coming on 
Wednesday. Id. at 2. The Respondent said, ``I'm glad to help her and 
take care of her.'' Id. He commented that he had to follow the rules 
when taking care of her. Id. CI asked the Respondent to help her out 
when he saw Agent 1. Id. at 3. The Respondent said he would take care 
of Agent 1's headaches ``like any other patient'' and that he had to 
follow the rules, treating her ``like anybody else.'' Id.
    64. On April 7, 2015, at approximately 1:29 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-16, file 2015-04-07_13-29-34_EDT. CI 
asked the Respondent if she could attend Agent 1's appointment. Id. at 
2. The Respondent said it was ``a little bit on the risky side.'' Id.
    65. On April 7, 2015, at approximately 6:28 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-16, file 2015-04-07_18-28-45_EDT. CI 
asked the Respondent if he wanted her to come with Agent 1 to her 
appointment the next day. Id. at 7. The Respondent said that he was 
nervous about it and had to treat Agent 1 the way he treated everyone 
else. Id. CI thanked the Respondent and said she knew he was seeing 
Agent 1 for her. Id. at 8. The Respondent said that he was treating her 
as a patient, and that it was dangerous. Id.
    66. On April 7, 2015, at approximately 7:04 p.m., CI texted the 
Respondent and asked if he would meet her at Walmart the next day 
around lunch. GE-20, file 2015-05-06_141328_601-904-1188_FROM_2015-04-
01_TO_2015-04-30_ALL.\30\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \30\ Contra Tr. 129.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    67. On April 8, 2015, at approximately 8:59 a.m., CI again texted 
the Respondent and asked him to go to Walmart on his lunch break so 
that she could ``run into'' him. GE-21, at 3. CI texted the Respondent 
that Agent 1 would be there and that Agent 1 knew about their 
relationship, but was ``cool'' and would ``cover'' for CI. GE-21, at 5-
6.
    68. On April 8, 2015, at approximately 10:16 a.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-16, file 2015-04-08_10-16-03_EDT. The 
Respondent said he would love to see CI at Walmart at noon that day. 
Id. at 1. CI again said Agent 1 knew that the Respondent was CI's 
boyfriend. Id. CI said she was fat because she was not taking Adipex 
anymore. Id. at 3. The Respondent said that she worried too much and 
that she was beautiful. Id.\31\ The Respondent and CI agreed to meet in 
Walmart that day. Id. at 7-8.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \31\ See GE-27, at 1; contra Tr. 225.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    69. On April 8, 2015, at approximately 12:31 p.m., CI texted the 
Respondent and said, if he wanted to save Agent 1 some money, he could 
bring a prescription for her with him to Walmart. GE-21, at 8. At 12:37 
p.m., the Respondent replied that he ``MUST see her in the office. You 
know why.'' GE-21, at 9.

iv. Undercover Operation at Walmart: April 8, 2015

    70. On April 8, 2015, Agent 1 accompanied CI to Walmart at 
approximately 12:45 p.m. GE-22-23; Tr. 128-29, 133-34. The Respondent 
met CI in the home furnishings department. GE-22; Tr. 389. CI wore a 
video and audio recording device. Tr. 347-48, 389; see GE-22. The 
Respondent spoke with CI. Tr. 129; see GE-22. The video recording did 
not capture an image of the Respondent's face, and much of the 
recording is inaudible. GE-22.
    71. The Respondent told CI to tell Agent 1 to space out her 
appointments more. Tr. 129-30. The Respondent said, ``[w]e will be good 
now, so but you can't come back like every week for a prescription 
cause they keep up, it's like every 4 weeks.'' GE-23. CI asked the 
Respondent how she was ``supposed to last that long.'' GE-23. The 
Respondent told her to ``go buy a bottle of Vodka . . . .'' GE-23.
    72. At approximately 3:29 p.m., CI texted the Respondent that she 
really felt fat and asked him to write Agent 1 ``something for that 
too.'' GE-21, at 13.
    73. Based on Findings of Fact 47 through 53, Findings of Fact 56 
through 72, and the transcript at pages 91, 230, and 349, I find that, 
by the time the Respondent met with Agent 1 on April 8, 2015, the 
Respondent knew that Agent 1 was not a legitimate patient and that at 
least some of the medication he prescribed at that appointment would be 
given to and used by CI.

v. Undercover Appointment #2: April 8, 2015

    74. Agent 1 had a second appointment with the Respondent that took 
place on April 8, 2015. GE-24-25; Tr. 102. The Respondent's nurse asked 
Agent 1 why she was back so soon after her first visit and if she was 
taking her medication correctly. GE-24; GE-25, at 1; Tr. 103. Agent 1 
said she just ``ran out'' of medication and was taking it twice a day. 
GE-25, at 1.
    The nurse told her that she did not need to take pain medication 
``every day all year long.'' GE-25, at 1.
    75. The Respondent met with Agent 1 and asked her what she had 
going on. GE-25, at 1. Agent 1 said, ``Same thing. Same stuff.'' GE-25, 
at 1. The Respondent asked if the medicine had helped. GE-25, at 1. 
Agent 1 said it helped ``a little bit.'' GE-25, at 1. The Respondent 
began writing almost immediately after he entered the room without 
conducting any sort of examination of Agent 1. GE-24-25; Tr. 103-04, 
132. The appointment lasted approximately seven minutes. GE-24.
    76. The Respondent and Agent 1 talked casually about boating and 
skiing. GE-25, at 2-3. The Respondent took out his prescription pad and 
wrote prescriptions for Agent 1. GE-25, at 3. The Respondent said, 
``[w]e need to kinda stretch this out [to] make it last a month.'' GE-
25, at 3.
    77. The Respondent wrote two prescriptions \32\ to Agent 1: one for 
40 Norco, and one for Maxalt. GE-24-26; Tr. 104. The Respondent told 
Agent 1 that he gave her refills for Maxalt but could not for ``the 
other.'' GE-25, at 1. The Respondent again told her to ``spread it out 
a little bit longer.'' GE-25, at 2. He said that ``the other ones are 
not really intended for . . . daily use,'' but that he would ``go ahead 
and give [her] a refill.'' GE-25, at 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \32\ In GE-26, the Government only provided a copy of the 
prescription for Norco. However, the Respondent's discussion of 
Maxalt, preserved in GE-24 and 25, indicates that the Respondent 
also prescribed Maxalt to Agent 1. Additionally, Agent 1's testimony 
that she received two prescriptions at this appointment was credible 
and uncontested. Tr. 104.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

vi. Interactions Between the Respondent and CI Between the Second and 
Third Undercover Appointments

    78. On April 8, 2015, at approximately 5:01 p.m., CI texted the 
Respondent and said ``[t]hank u sweetheart for hooking me up again 
:).'' GE-20, file 2015-05-06_141328_601-904-1188_FROM_2015-04-
01_TO_2015-04-30_ALL.
    79. On April 8, 2015, at approximately 6:15 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-27.\33\ CI asked how things went with 
Agent 1. GE-27, at 1. The Respondent said he thought they went okay. 
GE-27, at 1. The Respondent and CI discussed their encounter in 
Walmart. GE-27, at 3. The Respondent asked CI what Agent 1 said to CI, 
and she told him that Agent 1 said that they had talked about the

[[Page 54836]]

Respondent's boat. GE-27, at 5. The Respondent said that he talked with 
Agent 1 about a boat because ``we had to be in there more than ten 
seconds'' so that his ``nosy nurse'' would not think, ``[d]ang, why is 
this appointment over with in ten seconds?'' GE-27, at 5.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \33\ See GE-16, file 2015-04-08_18-15-44_EDT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    80. On April 14, 2015, at approximately 3:48 p.m., CI texted the 
Respondent and asked him how many friends she could ``send in ur office 
for `headaches' lol?'' GE-20, file 2015-04-14_15-48-52_EDT.
    81. On April 14, 2015, at approximately 6:47 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-38.\34\ CI again asked the Respondent how 
many friends she could send to him with a headache. GE-38, at 2. The 
Respondent said they had to be really careful about it. Id. The 
Respondent told CI that if she had a friend who was ``willing to help'' 
her, she should not tell him about it and should just ask the friend to 
come by and ``mention that they've got headaches.'' GE-38, at 2. The 
Respondent said he was nervous about it because he knew he was being 
watched. GE-38, at 2. The Respondent said that, but for CI's husband, 
CI could ``have all the sex, drugs, and rock and roll'' that she 
needed. GE-38, at 2. CI told the Respondent that she was ``running 
low'' and needed ``some more pills or something.'' GE-38, at 3. The 
Respondent suggested she drink vodka. GE-38, at 3. CI asked if he would 
treat Agent 1 for a cough if Agent 1 came in for a cough, and if he 
would give Agent 1 cough medicine. GE-38, at 3. The Respondent said he 
could give her cough medicine for something legitimate, and warned CI 
that the state monitors drug-seeking behavior. GE-38, at 3-4. CI asked 
the Respondent to prescribe her a ``big bottle,'' like he used to 
prescribe to her. GE-38, at 4. The Respondent said he could give her 
about eight ounces. GE-38, at 4. The Respondent told CI that he could 
not prescribe Adipex to her and explained why. GE-38, at 6. The 
Respondent told CI that he could help her feel happier if he did not 
get ``busted by the . . . drug police.'' GE-38, at 8.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \34\ See GE-20, file 2015-04-14_18-47-34_EDT; GE-28, file 2015-
04-14_18-47-34_EDT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    82. On April 14, 2015, at approximately 7:02 p.m., CI texted the 
Respondent and asked if he had any Adipex left over from a prescription 
to his wife. GE-20.
    83. On April 15, 2015, at approximately 9:30 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-20, 28. CI talked about being severely 
depressed. GE-28, file 2015-04-15_21-30-59_EDT, at 9. The Respondent 
talked about how CI's husband would not let her ``have drugs.'' Id. at 
10.
    84. On April 22, 2015, at approximately 10:28 a.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-20, 28. CI told the Respondent that Agent 
1 and some of her friends were coming next week to see the Respondent. 
GE-28, file 2015-04-22_10-28-41_EDT, at 3. The Respondent warned CI 
that he had to be careful because it was ``super serious.'' Id. CI 
laughed and said that they had headaches. Id. The Respondent told CI 
that prescribing frequently to people from out of town was a ``big'' 
red flag. Id. The Respondent said he could not ``do it on any kind of 
regular basis.'' Id. at 4.
    85. On April 22, 2015, at approximately 12:10 p.m., the Respondent 
texted CI that he ``CANNOT do anything other than legitimate medical 
stuff'' because it was risky and CI's husband had everyone ``on high 
alert.'' GE-20. CI texted back and asked if he would see Agent 1 next 
week, and that Agent 1 and her friends would not ``tell.'' GE-20. CI 
asked him to ``write in their chart it's for migraines like u always 
do.'' GE-20. The Respondent texted back that he would see Agent 1 and 
treat her in a medically appropriate way. GE-20. The Respondent also 
texted that his usual prescription for Lorcet (40) ``should last more 
than a month.'' GE-20. The Respondent texted that his feelings for CI 
needed to be ``totally separate from [his] medical practice.'' GE-20.
    86. On April 22, 2015, at approximately 1:03 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-20, 28. The Respondent said that they had 
to be really careful because the Mississippi Board was watching him. 
GE-28, file 2015-04-22_13-03-23_EDT, at 1-2. He compared their 
situation to going to ``buy drugs at a crack house.'' Id. at 2. The 
Respondent said everything needed to be ``straight'' and ``above the 
board.'' Id. The Respondent said that his normal prescription dosage of 
headache medicine should last more than 30 days, and that it would 
raise alarm if he saw people more than once a month or every other 
month for headaches. Id. CI said that it had been a month since he saw 
Agent 1; the Respondent said he did not remember. Id. CI asked him how 
he got ``away with it'' when he was seeing her; he replied that ``they 
weren't watching nearly as close'' and that CI had legitimate headaches 
and he ``was writing it down every time.'' Id. at 3. The Respondent 
said he was not giving her prescriptions ``super often.'' Id. The 
Respondent discussed headaches, Maxalt, and Lorcet with CI. Id. at 3-4. 
CI asked the Respondent if he would see ``them'' next week. Id. at 4. 
The Respondent said that he would see anybody that came in to his 
office. Id. CI asked him to ``write 'em Lorcet.'' Id. The Respondent 
said that ``[i]t would even be better if I don't even know who they 
are'' and instructed CI to not tell him their names. Id. The Respondent 
said that he treats everyone the same. Id. at 5. The Respondent said 
that he liked to be nice to Agent 1, who he identified as CI's friend. 
Id.
    87. On April 22, 2015, at approximately 2:32 p.m., CI texted the 
Respondent, ``[w]hat I wouldn't do for an aipex [sic] right now ! Omg 
:/.'' GE-20, file 2015-04-22_14-32-41_EDT.
    88. On April 27, 2015, at approximately 2:45 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-20, 28. CI said she spoke to Agent 1, who 
was going to see the Respondent that Wednesday. GE-20, file 2015-04-
27_14-45-16_EDT. The Respondent said he would be glad to see her. Id. 
CI said that Agent 1 would give CI all of Agent 1's prescriptions. Id. 
CI said Agent 1 and Agent 2 would split Agent 2's prescriptions. GE-28, 
file 2015-04-27_14-45-16_EDT, at 1. The Respondent said he did not 
``know anything about that and [did not] want to know anything about 
that.'' Id. CI discussed previously taking ``like 20'' of the Demerol 
that the Respondent prescribed to her. Id. at 7.
    89. On April 28, 2015, at approximately 8:23 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-20, 28. CI told the Respondent to not 
forget that Agent 1 and Agent 2 were coming tomorrow. GE-28, file 2015-
04-28_20-23-38_EDT, at 1. The Respondent acknowledged that he knew they 
were coming and said he would see them then. Id. CI told the Respondent 
to ``[h]ook her up good. Give her some cough medicine.'' Id.
    90. On April 29, 2015, at approximately 9:38 a.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-20, 28, 29. CI told the Respondent not to 
forget that Agent 1 was coming that day. GE-29, at 7. The Respondent 
replied that he would not forget and would ``take care of her.'' GE-29, 
at 7. CI told him to give her cough medicine. GE-29, at 7. The 
Respondent said he would see what he could do, but that CI was ``really 
pushing [his] envelope.'' GE-29, at 7.
    91. On April 29, 2015, at approximately 3:40 p.m., CI texted the 
Respondent that Agent 1 said that Agent 2 `` `has a cough too' if u 
could hook her up with some cough med . . . Please :) .'' GE-39, at 5.

[[Page 54837]]

    92. Based on Findings of Fact 47 through 53, 56 through 72, and 75 
through 91, and the transcript at pages 91, 136, 230, and 349, I find 
that, by the time the Respondent met with Agents 1 and 2 on April 29, 
2015, the Respondent knew that Agent 1 and Agent 2 were not legitimate 
patients and that at least some of the medications that he prescribed 
to them during their appointments that day would be given to and used 
by CI and/or shared by the Agents.

vii. Undercover Appointment #3: April 29, 2015, with Agent 1

    93. Agent 1 had a third appointment with the Respondent, which 
occurred on April 29, 2015. GE-30-31; Tr. 111.
    94. The Respondent met with Agent 1 and asked her, ``Headaches for 
you?'' GE-31, at 1. Agent 1 responded, ``Yep.'' GE-31, at 1. The 
Respondent performed a brief examination of Agent 1, checking her ears 
and nose. GE-30-31; Tr. 112, 132. The Respondent observed that Agent 1 
still had ``refills on the other.'' GE-31, at 1.
    95. Agent 1 told the Respondent that she talked on the phone with a 
friend of hers, who told her that she was coughing a lot and needed to 
get something for her cough; Agent 1 also told the Respondent that she 
had not paid it much attention to it. GE-31, at 1; Tr. 133, 138-39. The 
Respondent immediately told Agent 1 that he would give her some cough 
syrup. GE-30; Tr. 133, 139-40. Agent 1 was not coughing during the 
appointment. GE-30; Tr. 138. Agent 1 did not tell the Respondent that 
she had a cough. GE-30-31; Tr. 113, 132. Agent 1 did not directly 
request cough syrup from the Respondent. GE-30-31; Tr. 113.
    96. The Respondent wrote two prescriptions to Agent 1: one for 40 
Norco 10/325, and one for eight ounces of Hycodan. GE-32-33; Tr. 113.

viii. Undercover Appointment #4: April 29, 2015, with Agent 2

    97. Agent 2 also had an appointment with the Respondent on April 
29, 2015. GE-34-35; Tr. 143.
    98. The Respondent met with Agent 2. GE-34-35; Tr. 144; see also 
GE-58 (containing the Respondent's patient file for Agent 2). The 
Respondent asked her what he could do for her. Agent 2 she said she had 
``a little headache,'' but noted that it had not been going on for a 
long time. GE-35, at 1; Tr. 144. The Respondent briefly looked into 
Agent 2's ears, nose, and mouth. GE-34-35; Tr. 144. The Respondent 
asked her a few questions about allergies, blood pressure, and smoking. 
GE-35, at 2. The Respondent then wrote prescriptions to Agent 2. GE-34. 
Meanwhile, the Respondent talked casually with Agent 2 about sports, 
Birmingham, and restaurants. GE-35, at 2-3.
    99. The Respondent wrote two prescriptions for Agent 2: one for 40 
Norco 10/325, and one for Maxalt with unlimited refills. GE-35, at 3; 
GE-36-37; Tr. 144.

ix. Interactions Between the Respondent and CI Between the Fourth and 
Fifth Undercover Appointments

    100. On April 29, 2015, at approximately 1:48 p.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-29, at 9. CI asked the Respondent if he 
had seen Agent 1. GE-29, at 9. The Respondent said he had. GE-29, at 9. 
CI asked him what he gave her. GE-29, at 9. The Respondent said, 
``appropriate medicine,'' and laughed. GE-29, at 9. He said that he 
gave her something for her headache and cough. GE-29, at 9. CI thanked 
the Respondent. GE-29, at 9.
    101. On April 30, 2015, at approximately 9:19 a.m., the Respondent 
and CI spoke on the phone. GE-40; see GE-20, 28. CI told the Respondent 
that she got her medication. GE-40, at 1. The Respondent said he was 
``glad all that worked out.'' GE-40, at 1; see Tr. 230-31. The 
Respondent asked CI who Agent 2 was and if she was Agent 1's friend. 
GE-40, at 1. CI told the Respondent that Agent 1 gave all of hers to 
CI, and that Agent 1 and Agent 2 split Agent 2's prescription. GE-40, 
at 2. The Respondent said he was glad he could help, and that both 
agents were ``very appropriate'' because they went ``through the 
motions.'' GE-40, at 2. The Respondent said that during the appointment 
with Agent 2, he was thinking, ``I'm not mentioning [CI] and I'm not 
mentioning [Agent 1].'' GE-40, at 2.
    102. The DEA's investigation was suspended while the Respondent 
campaigned for political office. Tr. 78. The DEA contacted CI in 
October 2015 and asked her to talk to the Respondent again to try to 
get him to write another prescription. Tr. 358. CI said no. Tr. 358.

x. Undercover Appointment #5: October 16, 2015

    103. Agent 1 had a fourth appointment with the Respondent, which 
took place on October 16, 2015. Tr. 78, 119. The purpose of this 
appointment was to refresh the investigation concerning the Respondent. 
Tr. 78. Upon arriving at the Respondent's clinic, the Respondent's 
receptionist told Agent 1 that her chart had been misplaced,\35\ so 
Agent 1 filled out new paperwork and sat in the Respondent's waiting 
room. GE-42-43; Tr. 119-20, 137.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \35\ After the Respondent was arrested, Agent 1's original file, 
GE-59, was found in the Respondent's desk, along with the files for 
CI and CI's children. Tr. 428.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Agent 1 waited for about an hour and twenty minutes before she was 
called into an exam room. GE-42; Tr. 406.
    104. Agent 1 met with the Respondent. GE-42; see GE-60 (containing 
Agent 1's October 16, 2015 patient file). The Respondent examined Agent 
1's ears, nose, and throat. GE-60, at 4; Tr. 120, 132.\36\ The 
Respondent asked Agent 1 what her symptoms were and what he had treated 
her for in the past. GE-43, at 2; Tr. 135. Agent 1 thought the 
Respondent was acting as though he did not know who she was. Tr. 120, 
135, 452; see GE-42-43.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \36\ The audiovisual recording of Agent 1's appointment did not 
record any physical examination by the Respondent during this 
appointment. See GE-42. However, because the audiovisual recording 
was incomplete, and because Agent 1 testified that the Respondent 
examined her ears, nose, and throat, I find as a matter of fact that 
the Respondent conducted a physical examination of Agent 1 at this 
appointment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    105. The Respondent discussed the most effective medication for 
Agent 1 to take for headaches. GE-43, at 2-3. Agent 1 asked the 
Respondent if he remembered Agent 2. GE-43, at 3. The Respondent 
stopped, thought about it, and said he did not. GE-42, 43.
    106. Agent 1's recording device partially failed and did not record 
the last few minutes of Agent 1's appointment with the Respondent. Tr. 
79, 451.
    107. While the Respondent was writing prescriptions for Agent 1, 
she asked the Respondent if he had spoken with CI lately. Tr. 122, 135, 
452-53. The Respondent paused and looked surprised, then continued 
writing the prescriptions and stated that he had not heard from CI 
lately. Tr. 122-23.
    108. The Respondent wrote Agent 1 prescriptions for 30 Norco 5/325, 
four ounces of Hycodan, Maxalt, Zyrtec, and dexamethasone. GE-44-47, 
54; Tr. 120, 126-27, 452. The Respondent discussed these prescriptions 
with Agent 1 during the appointment. Tr. 452-53, 455-56.
    109. During this visit, Agent 1 did not say that she had a cough. 
GE-42-43; Tr. 126, 138-39, 454. Agent 1 only stated at the outset of 
the appointment that she needed the ``same as before,'' and did not 
tell the Respondent that she had any specific complaints. GE-42-43; Tr. 
454. The Respondent nonetheless prescribed cough syrup to Agent 1. GE-
45; Tr. 139.

[[Page 54838]]

G. Search of the Respondent's Office

    110. The Respondent was arrested on December 9, 2015. Tr. 427, 432. 
That same day, the DEA searched the Respondent's office and examined 
his records and patient files. Tr. 427, 432. The Respondent's office 
kept patient files in a general population of files. Tr. 433.
    111. The DEA unlocked the Respondent's desk drawer and discovered 
several patient files that had not been kept in the general population 
of patient files. Tr. 428, 432. In the Respondent's desk, the DEA found 
one patient file for Agent 1, one file for CI, one file for Kid 1, and 
one file for Kid 2. Tr. 428; see GE-2, 56-57, 59.
    112. The DEA found a second patient file for Agent 1 within the 
general population of the Respondent's patient files. Tr. 433; see GE-
60. The DEA also found a patient file for Agent 2 in the general 
population of the Respondent's patient files. Tr. 434; see GE-58.
    Additional facts required to resolve the issues in this case are 
included below in the Analysis section of this Recommended Decision.

ANALYSIS

    To revoke a respondent's registration, the Government must prove, 
by a preponderance of the evidence, that the regulatory requirements 
for revocation are satisfied. Steadman v. SEC, 450 U.S. 91, 100-02 
(1981); 21 CFR Sec.  1301.44(e) (2015). Under 21 U.S.C. Sec.  
824(a)(4), the DEA may revoke a registrant's COR if the registrant 
acted in a way that renders continued registration ``inconsistent with 
the public interest.'' The DEA considers the following five factors to 
determine whether continued registration is in the public interest:
    (1) The recommendation of the appropriate State licensing board or 
professional disciplinary authority.
    (2) The [registrant's] experience in dispensing, or conducting 
research with respect to controlled substances.
    (3) The [registrant's] conviction record under Federal or State 
laws relating to the manufacture, distribution, or dispensing of 
controlled substances.
    (4) Compliance with applicable State, Federal, or local laws 
relating to controlled substances.
    (5) Such other conduct which may threaten the public health and 
safety.

21 U.S.C. 823(f) (2012).

    These public interest factors are considered separately. See Robert 
A. Leslie, M.D., 68 Fed. Reg. 15227, 15230 (2003). Each factor is 
weighed on a case-by-case basis. Morall v. DEA, 412 F.3d 165, 173-74 
(D.C. Cir. 2005). Any one factor, or combination of factors, may be 
decisive. David H. Gillis, M.D., 58 Fed. Reg. 37507, 37508 (1993). 
Thus, there is no need to enter findings on each of the factors. Hoxie 
v. DEA, 419 F.3d 477, 482 (6th Cir. 2005). Further, there is no 
requirement to consider a factor in any given level of detail. Trawick 
v. DEA, 861 F.2d 72, 76-77 (4th Cir. 1988). When deciding whether 
registration is in the public interest, the totality of the 
circumstances must be considered. See generally Joseph Gaudio, M.D., 74 
Fed. Reg. 10083, 10094-95 (2009).
    The Government bears the initial burden of proof, and must justify 
revocation by a preponderance of the evidence. Steadman, 450 U.S. at 
100-03. If the Government makes a prima facie case for revocation, the 
burden of proof shifts to the registrant to show that revocation would 
be inappropriate. Med. Shoppe-Jonesborough, 73 Fed. Reg. 364, 387 
(2008). A registrant may prevail by successfully attacking the veracity 
of the Government's allegations or evidence. Alternatively, a 
registrant may rebut the Government's prima facie case for revocation 
by accepting responsibility for wrongful behavior and by taking 
remedial measures to ``prevent the re-occurrence of similar acts.'' 
Jeri Hassman, M.D., 75 Fed. Reg. 8194, 8236 (2010). In addition, when 
assessing the appropriateness and extent of sanctioning, the DEA 
considers the egregiousness of the offenses and the DEA's interest in 
specific and general deterrence. David A. Ruben, M.D., 78 Fed. Reg. 
38363, 38385 (2013).

Factor One: The Recommendation of the Appropriate State Licensing Board 
or Professional Disciplinary Authority

    Neither party directly advanced an argument under Factor One. 
However, a substantial portion of the Respondent's post-hearing brief 
(``ALJ-34'') argues that the DEA should give significant deference to 
the Mississippi Board's termination of its investigation against the 
Respondent. ALJ-34, at 3-6. Therefore, by inference, the Respondent 
advanced a theory under Factor One that his license should not be 
revoked because the Mississippi Board declined to take formal 
disciplinary action against him.
    Although the Mississippi Board did not make a formal recommendation 
to the DEA in this matter, the DEA interprets a state licensing board's 
``recommendation'' broadly. See Kenneth Harold Bull, M.D., 78 Fed. Reg. 
62666, 62672 (2013) (considering disciplinary actions taken by a state 
board under Factor One).\37\ A state board's disciplinary actions can 
provide evidence of what a state licensing board would recommend. Id. 
For example, when a state board puts a registrant on probation, the DEA 
views the probation as a recommendation from the state board. E.g., 
Tyson D. Quy, M.D., 78 Fed. Reg. 47412, 47417 (2013).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \37\ But see George R. Smith, M.D., 78 FR 44972, 44979 (2013) 
(finding that the absence of a state licensing board's direct 
recommendation weighs neither for nor against a respondent); Paul 
Weir Battershell, N.P., 76 FR 44359, 44365-66 (2011) (same); Gilbert 
Eugene Johnson, M.D., 75 FR 65663, 65666 n.3 (2010) (same).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Here, the Mississippi Board has not revoked, suspended, or 
restricted the Respondent's license. GE-1, at 1; GE-3, at 1. The 
Mississippi Board investigated the Respondent in March 2015. See GE-3. 
This investigation was limited to reviewing an anonymous letter, 
interviewing the Respondent, and visiting the Respondent's office. See 
GE-3, at 1-2, 4-6. The Mississippi Board neither exonerated the 
Respondent nor took any formal action against him. GE-3; Tr. 184, 203. 
The Mississippi Board only issued a warning letter to the Respondent to 
conclude its investigation. GE-3, at 1. Consistent with the findings of 
Investigator Pohnert, the Mississippi Board warned the Respondent that 
doctors are only permitted to refill phentermine prescriptions if they 
first conduct and document medical examinations. GE-3, at 1, 5.
    The fact ``that a state has not acted against a registrant's 
medical license is not dispositive in this administrative determination 
as to whether continuation of a registration is consistent with the 
public interest.'' Carlos Gonzalez, M.D., 76 Fed. Reg. 63118, 63140 
(2011) (citing Patrick W. Stodola, M.D., 74 Fed. Reg. 20727, 20730 
(2009); Jayam Krishna-Iyer, M.D., 74 Fed. Reg. 459, 461 (2009)). 
Rather, the DEA, apart from the Mississippi Board, has its own 
independent responsibility to determine whether the Respondent's 
continued registration is in the public interest. See Edmund Chein, 
M.D., 72 Fed. Reg. 6580, 6590 (2007), aff'd, Chein v. DEA, 533 F.3d 828 
(D.C. Cir. 2008). Accordingly, the Mississippi Board's warning letter 
does not weigh either for or against the Respondent under Factor One.

Factors Two and Four: The Respondent's Experience in Dispensing 
Controlled Substances and Compliance with Applicable State, Federal, or 
Local Laws Relating to Controlled Substances

    Allegations 1 through 5 all claim that the Respondent 
illegitimately prescribed controlled substances outside the course of 
his professional practice. See supra pp. 2-3. Regarding these 
allegations, the

[[Page 54839]]

Government endeavored to show that the Respondent knowingly diverted, 
or attempted to divert, controlled substances. This evidence is 
properly analyzed under Factors Two and Four because ``[p]roof that a 
physician knowingly diverted controlled substances is the best evidence 
for assessing his experience in dispensing controlled substances, 
although it is also relevant in assessing his compliance with 
applicable laws related to controlled substances.'' Syed Jawed Akhtar-
Zaidi, M.D., 80 Fed. Reg. 42961, 42968 n.17 (2015).
    Under the Controlled Substances Act (``CSA''), it is unlawful for a 
person to distribute controlled substances, except as authorized under 
the CSA. 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1). To combat drug abuse and trafficking of 
controlled substances, ``Congress devised a closed regulatory system 
making it unlawful to manufacture, distribute, dispense, or possess any 
controlled substance except in a manner authorized by the CSA.'' 
Gonzales v. Raich, 545 U.S. 1, 13 (2005). To maintain this closed 
regulatory system, controlled substances may only be prescribed if a 
DEA registrant writes a valid prescription. Gonzalez, 76 FR at 63141. 
As the Supreme Court explained, ``the prescription requirement . . . 
ensures that patients use controlled substances under the supervision 
of a doctor so as to prevent addiction and recreational abuse. As a 
corollary, [it] also bars doctors from peddling to patients who crave 
the drugs for those prohibited uses.'' Gonzales v. Oregon, 546 U.S. 
243, 274 (2006) (citing United States v. Moore, 423 U.S. 122, 135, 143 
(1975)).
    A controlled substance prescription is not valid unless it is 
``issued for a legitimate medical purpose by an individual practitioner 
acting in the usual course of his professional practice.'' 21 CFR Sec.  
1306.04(a). Federal regulations further provide that ``[a]n order 
purporting to be a prescription issued not in the usual course of 
professional treatment . . . is not a prescription within the meaning 
and intent of [21 U.S.C. Sec.  829] and . . . the person issuing it, 
shall be subject to the penalties provided for violations of 
[controlled substance laws].'' Id.; see 21 U.S.C. Sec.  842(a)(1) 
(establishing that, under the CSA, it is illegal for a person to 
distribute or dispense controlled substances without a prescription, as 
is required under 21 U.S.C. Sec.  829).
    Much like the federal regulations, the Mississippi Code provides 
that it is illegal to dispense Schedule II \38\ controlled substances 
except upon a valid prescription written by a practitioner. Miss. Code 
Sec. Sec.  41-29-137(a)(1), 41-29-141(1). The Mississippi Code further 
provides that a registrant's license may be revoked if the registrant 
prescribes narcotics outside of the course of legitimate professional 
practice, id. Sec.  73-25-29(3), or if the registrant violates the 
Mississippi Board's administrative rules, id. Sec.  73-25-29(13).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \38\ These sections of the Mississippi Code only apply to the 
Respondent's Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions. 
Notably, hydrocodone combination products, such as Norco and 
Hycodan, were re-classified by the federal government as Schedule II 
controlled substances on October 6, 2014. See Stip. 5-6. The parties 
made no argument, and presented no evidence, regarding the 
classification of hydrocodone combination products in the state of 
Mississippi.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The DEA recognizes several methods to show that a registrant wrote 
prescriptions without a legitimate medical purpose and outside of the 
usual course of professional practice. See Jack A. Danton, D.O., 76 FR 
60900, 60901 (2011). The Respondent, however, incorrectly suggests that 
the Government must provide ``medical literature'' or a ``medical 
opinion'' in order to establish that a registrant acted outside the 
usual course of professional practice and lacked a legitimate medical 
purpose. ALJ-34, at 5.
    Typically, the Government uses expert testimony to establish a 
violation of 21 CFR 1306.04(a). T.J. McNichol, M.D., 77 FR 57133, 
57147-48 (2012). However, ``whether expert testimony is needed is 
necessarily dependent on the nature of the allegations and the other 
evidence in the case.'' Beau Boshers, M.D., 76 FR 19401, 19402 n.4 
(2011). Numerous state and federal courts have found in criminal cases, 
which require a higher standard of proof than is required in these 
proceedings, that expert testimony is not required to establish a 
violation of 21 U.S.C. Sec.  841 or 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a). McNichol, 
77 FR at 57147.\39\ For example, the DEA has not required expert 
testimony to establish a violation of 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a) in cases 
where a prescriber engaged in drug deals,\40\ where there were notable 
differences between patients' medical records and diagnoses,\41\ and 
where a prescriber falsified patients' charts.\42\ Simply put, whether 
the Government must present expert testimony is dependent on the facts 
of each case. McNichol, 77 FR at 57147-48.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \39\ E.g., United States v. Pellman, 668 F.3d 918, 924 (7th Cir. 
2012); United States v. Armstrong, 550 F.3d 382, 389 (5th Cir. 
2008); United States v. Word, 806 F.2d 658, 663 (6th Cir. 1986); 
United States v. Larson, 507 F.2d 385, 387 (9th Cir. 1974); United 
States v. Bartee, 479 F.2d 484, 488-89 (10th Cir. 1973); State v. 
Moody, 393 So.2d 1212, 1215 (La. 1981).
    \40\ Boshers, 76 Fed. Reg. at 19402 n.4.
    \41\ Morris W. Cochran, M.D., 77 Fed. Reg. 17505, 17519-20 
(2011).
    \42\ Robert F. Hunt, D.O., 75 Fed. Reg. 49995, 50003 (2010).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the Government's post-hearing brief (``ALJ-35''), it advanced 
two theories regarding how the Respondent violated 21 CFR Sec.  
1306.04(a): (1) the Respondent knowingly diverted controlled substances 
to CI, and (2) the Respondent violated state medical practice 
standards. ALJ-35, at 18-24. The Government can prove that a registrant 
acted outside of the usual course of professional practice and lacked a 
legitimate medical purpose by ``providing evidence showing that [the 
registrant] knowingly diverted drugs.'' Danton, 76 Fed. Reg. at 60901. 
Additionally, the Government can prove that a registrant acted outside 
of the usual course of professional practice and lacked a legitimate 
medical purpose by providing evidence showing that the registrant 
violated a state medical practice standard ``which has a substantial 
relationship to the CSA's purpose of preventing substance abuse and 
diversion.'' Id. Neither of these methods of proof requires the 
presentation of expert testimony. Id.
Allegation 1: Hydrocodone and Alprazolam Prescriptions to CI
    In Allegation 1, the Government claimed that the Respondent 
prescribed hydrocodone and alprazolam to CI from February 2014 to May 
2015 \43\ without conducting and/or documenting a physical examination, 
and without recording the prescriptions in CI's patient file, in 
violation of Mississippi Medical Board Administrative Rules Part 2640, 
Chapter 1, (``Mississippi Administrative Rules'') 1.4, 1.11(b),\44\ and 
1.16, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR 
Sec.  1306.04(a). ALJ-1, at 2. Specifically, the Government alleged 
that the Respondent issued improper

[[Page 54840]]

prescriptions to CI: (a) on May 22, 2014, for 40 units of a hydrocodone 
combination product; (b) on June 17, 2014, for 40 units of a 
hydrocodone combination product; (c) on September 11, 2014, for 40 
units of a hydrocodone combination product; (d) on October 6, 2014, for 
40 units of alprazolam with one refill for 40 units; (e) on October 29, 
2014, for 40 units of a hydrocodone combination product; and (f) on 
December 4, 2014, for 180 units of a hydrocodone combination product. 
ALJ-1, at 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \43\ The record does not contain any evidence that the 
Respondent prescribed controlled substances directly to CI in 2015. 
The 2015 prescriptions that the Government alluded to under 
Allegation 1 were the Respondent's 2015 prescriptions to Agent 1 and 
Agent 2. Those prescriptions are discussed at length under 
Allegation 4, infra pp. 50-58.
    \44\ Rule 1.11(b) requires that ``[e]very written prescription 
delivered to a patient, or delivered to any other person on behalf 
of a patient, must be manually signed on the date of issuance by the 
physician.'' Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.11(b). Although the 
Government alleged a violation of this provision in its OSC/ISO, the 
Government did not advance a theory or offer evidence to establish a 
violation of this specific rule. I therefore find that the 
Government's allegation that the Respondent violated Rule 1.11(b) is 
NOT SUSTAINED.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under the Mississippi Administrative Code, the Mississippi Board 
requires that a prescribing physician must:

    maintain a complete record of his or her examination, evaluation 
and treatment of the patient which must include documentation of the 
diagnosis and reason for prescribing, dispensing or administering any 
controlled substance; the name, dose, strength, quantity of the 
controlled substance and the date that the controlled substance was 
prescribed, dispensed or administered.

Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.4.\45\ This record must ``be 
maintained in the patient's medical records.'' Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \45\ I find that the documentation requirements of Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.4 share a substantial relationship with the 
CSA's purpose of preventing drug abuse and diversion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Further, the Mississippi Board requires that a physician cannot 
prescribe a controlled substance ``without a good faith prior 
examination and medical indication therefore.'' Id. This obligation is 
a continuing one; ``upon any encounter with a patient, in order to 
establish proper diagnosis and regimen of treatment, a physician must 
take three steps: (a) take and record an appropriate medical history, 
(b) carry out an appropriate physical examination, and (c) record the 
results.'' Id. (emphasis added). A physician's failure to complete 
these three steps is conduct outside the ``course of legitimate 
professional practice.'' Id. In fact, any violation of these rules is 
considered conduct outside of the course of legitimate professional 
practice, in violation of Section 73-25-29(3) of the Mississippi Code. 
Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.16.
    The evidence establishes that, on four occasions, the Respondent 
prescribed controlled substances to CI without writing any notes about 
any prescriptions or examinations in CI's patient file. On May 22, 
2014, the Respondent prescribed 40 units of Norco 10/325 to CI. GE-41, 
at 4; GE-49, at 2. On June 17, 2014, the Respondent prescribed 40 units 
of Norco 7.5/325 \46\ to CI. GE-41, at 6; GE-49, at 2. On September 11, 
2014, the Respondent prescribed 40 units of Norco 10/325 to CI. GE-41, 
at 20; GE-49, at 2. On December 4, 2014, the Respondent prescribed 180 
units, or six ounces, of Hycodan to CI.\47\ GE-41, at 28; GE-49, at 1. 
None of these four prescriptions were recorded in CI's medical file. 
See GE-2, at 12-13. The Respondent did not document a diagnosis or 
reason for prescribing to CI on any of these dates. The Respondent did 
not write the names, doses, strengths, or quantities of these 
prescriptions to CI in CI's medical record. The Respondent did not 
record the dates of these prescriptions in CI's medical record. The 
Respondent did not record any notes in CI's medical record about any 
physical examinations on these dates.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \46\ Originally, the Government alleged that the Respondent 
prescribed Norco 10/325 on June 17, 2014. See ALJ-1, at 2. However, 
as the Government correctly noted in its post-hearing brief, the 
Respondent prescribed Norco 7.5/325 on June 17, 2014. ALJ-35, at 6 
n.1; see GE-41, at 6.
    \47\ The record reflects some confusion concerning the date of 
this prescription. GE-41, at 21, indicates it was written on 
December 3, 2014, while GE-49, at 1, indicates it was written on 
December 4, 2014. See supra note 19. Regardless of the one day 
variance, the analysis is the same.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Because of the complete absence of this required information in 
CI's patient file, the prescriptions that the Respondent wrote to CI on 
these four dates were improper under Mississippi Administrative Rule 
1.4. The Government's allegations that these four prescriptions to CI 
violated Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4 are SUSTAINED by a 
preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor of the revocation 
sought by the Government. Because these prescriptions violated 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4, these prescriptions were issued 
outside of the course of the Respondent's legitimate professional 
practice under Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.16. Further, there is 
no evidence that the Respondent even saw CI on May 22, June 17, 
September 11, or December 4 of 2014. Even absent expert testimony, the 
DEA has held that a prescriber does not act in the usual course of 
professional practice if the prescriber writes prescriptions to a 
patient without first seeing the patient. Armando B. Figueroa, M.D., 73 
Fed. Reg. 40380, 40381-82 (2008). Therefore, the Government's 
allegations that the Respondent violated Mississippi Administrative 
Rule 1.16, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR 
Sec.  1306.04(a) on these four occasions are SUSTAINED by a 
preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor of the revocation 
sought by the Government.
    On October 6, 2014, the Respondent prescribed 40 units of 
alprazolam 1 mg, with one refill, to CI. GE-41, at 22; GE-49, at 1. In 
CI's medical file, near a date stamp reading September 2, 2014, the 
Respondent noted ``Xanax 1mg (#40, 1),'' but did not write any 
justification for this prescription, as is required by Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.4. See GE-2, at 12-13. The Respondent did not 
write any notes anywhere in CI's patient file about a diagnosis of 
anxiety or any of CI's alleged symptoms. See GE-2, at 12-13. 
Additionally, CI's testimony and her PMP report indicate that, although 
CI's psychiatrist prescribed a smaller dosage of alprazolam to her, the 
Respondent increased CI's dosage without any noted justification. GE-
49, at 1; Tr. 225-26, 295, 304; see GE-2 (failing to justify an 
increased dosage of alprazolam); see also GE-2, at 21 (documenting that 
another registrant prescribed 7 units of alprazolam ER 0.5 mg to CI on 
September 30, 2014, and that the Respondent then prescribed 40 units of 
alprazolam 1 mg on October 6, 2014). Because the Respondent never 
documented a reason for prescribing alprazolam to CI in her patient 
file, the Government's allegation that the October 6, 2014 prescription 
violated Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4 is SUSTAINED by a 
preponderance of the evidence, and weighs in favor of the revocation 
sought by the Government. Because this prescription violated 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4, this prescription was issued 
outside of the course of the Respondent's legitimate professional 
practice under Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.16. Therefore, the 
Government's allegations that the Respondent violated Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.16, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and 
(13), and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a) by issuing the October 6, 2014 
prescription are also SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and 
weigh in favor of the revocation sought by the Government.
    The Government also alleged that the Respondent prescribed 40 units 
of a hydrocodone product to CI on October 29, 2014. ALJ-1, at 2. 
Although this alleged prescription is noted on CI's PMP report, see GE-
49, as Government counsel stated, ``PMPs are not without their flaws'' 
and are not ``necessarily accurate.'' Tr. 302-03. The Government 
offered testimony from CI related to this alleged prescription. Tr. 
369-70. CI was presented with a copy of this alleged prescription, 
which she reviewed. Tr. 369-70. At the hearing, CI did not testify 
about the prescription from her

[[Page 54841]]

personal recollection; she only looked at and read off of the copy of 
the prescription presented to her. Tr. 369-70. I do not find that CI's 
testimony proved the existence of the October 29 prescription. This 
copy of the prescription was not offered into evidence.\48\ In sum, the 
Government failed to offer substantial evidence that the Respondent 
did, in fact, prescribe hydrocodone to CI on October 29, 2014 outside 
of the course of his professional practice. Therefore, the Government's 
allegations that the Respondent violated Mississippi Administrative 
Rules 1.4 and 1.16, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), 
and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a) by issuing an October 29, 2014 prescription 
are NOT SUSTAINED.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \48\ See supra note 20.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Beyond the above-mentioned specific prescribing events, the 
Government provided ample evidence that, throughout 2014, the 
Respondent prescribed controlled substances to CI outside of the usual 
course of his professional practice and without a legitimate medical 
purpose. The DEA has held, even without the benefit of expert 
testimony, that a controlled substance prescription based on a 
patient's request ``rather than the result of the application of the 
physician's medical judgment'' lacks a medical purpose. Robert M. 
Golden, M.D., 61 Fed. Reg. 24808, 24812 (1996) (citing Robert L. 
Dougherty, Jr., M.D., 60 Fed. Reg. 55047 (1995); Harland J. 
Borcherding, D.O., 60 Fed. Reg. 28796 (1995)). Likewise, the 
Mississippi Administrative Rules state that a prescriber lacks good 
faith when he ``permit[s] the patient to name the drug desired'' or 
``dispens[es] drugs to patients having no medical need, when the 
physician knew or should have known that the patients were addicts.'' 
Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.4.
    It is true that, at times, the Respondent intended to treat CI's 
medical conditions. GE-2, at 12-13; Tr. 215, 277-78, 287, 321. However, 
even if the Respondent subjectively intended to provide legitimate 
medical treatment to CI, ``[t]he appropriate focus is not on the 
subjective intent of the doctor, but rather . . . whether the physician 
prescribe[d] medicine `in accordance with [the accepted] standard of 
medical practice.' '' United States v. Merrill, 513 F.3d 1293, 1306 
(11th Cir. 2008) (quoting United States v. Moore, 423 U.S. 122, 139 
(1975)). The Respondent's failure to perform and document physical 
examinations of CI, and his failure to document his prescriptions to 
CI, constitutes a significant failure to comply with Mississippi 
medical standards, regardless of the Respondent's subjective intent.
    Here, CI took Norco daily and recreationally, and the Respondent 
gave prescriptions to CI upon her request. Tr. 297-99. The Respondent 
gave prescriptions to CI at her house, at her children's appointments, 
and in the garden section of Walmart. Tr. 26, 217-20. The Respondent 
did not provide CI with a diagnosis or perform physical examinations 
before giving these prescriptions to CI. See Tr. 217-18; see also GE-2, 
at 12-13.
    Importantly, the Respondent only made three entries in CI's patient 
file in 2014, on February 21, April 21, and September 2, and he made no 
entries in CI's patient chart in 2015. See GE-2, at 12-13. Neither 
party presented any standard to evaluate the adequacy of the patient 
file entries.\49\ Assuming that the file entries on those dates are 
adequate, under Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4, any prescriptions 
that the Respondent issued to CI in 2014, other than on February 21, 
April 21, and September 2, were issued outside of the Respondent's 
professional practice. CI's PMP report indicates that CI may have 
filled prescriptions written by the Respondent on 13 dates in 2014.\50\ 
I do not find that the PMP report, standing alone, constitutes 
substantial evidence that these prescriptions existed, as discussed 
supra. However, CI's credible, confident, and uncontested testimony 
that she simply requested prescriptions from the Respondent ``for 
fun,'' and that he would give them to her, considered in conjunction 
with the PMP report, constitutes substantial evidence that the 
Respondent prescribed controlled substances to CI in 2014 based on CI's 
request rather than in the proper exercise of sound medical judgment. 
On these grounds, the Government's allegations that the Respondent 
violated Mississippi Administrative Rules 1.4 and 1.16, Mississippi 
Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a) are 
also SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor 
of the revocation sought by the Government.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \49\ CI's patient file is not entirely legible. See GE-2, at 12-
13. The February 21, 2014 entry reads: ``HC 7.5/325 (#40, 1)--may be 
picked up at desk.'' GE-2, at 12. The April 21, 2014 entry reads: 
``Headaches ? `Sinuses' Motion sickness Occasional vertigo Ears 
clear OC/OP clear Nose mildly inflamed CT [rarr] clear and 
thickening in L NF duct Rx Maxalt (one given) HC 10/325 (#40) 
(refill).'' GE-2, at 12. The September 2, 2014 entry reads: 
``Lexapro Maxalt prn has anxiety c migraines Migraine--usually 
responsive to Maxalt, now c brea[illegible] Ears clean; [illegible] 
in [supreg] EAC @[illegible] Nose clear OC/OP clear Counseled 
[illegible] Rx Zofran Demerol 50 (#30) HC 10/325 (#40, 1) 
Phentermine (refilled) Xanax 1mg (#40, 1).'' GE-2, at 12. These 
three notations are the only entries in the Respondent's patient 
file for CI during 2014.
    \50\ Specifically, these dates are as follows: February 21, 
April 9, May 19, May 22, June 17, July 19, July 24, September 2, 
September 8, September 11, October 6, October 29, and December 4. 
See GE-2, at 21-23; GE-49, at 1-3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allegation 2: Phentermine Prescriptions to CI
    In Allegation 2, Government claimed that the Respondent prescribed 
phentermine \51\ to CI without adequate documentation, in violation of 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.5, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-
29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a). ALJ-1, at 3. The 
Government specifically alleged that this inappropriate prescribing 
occurred on four occasions in 2014: April 9, for 30 dosage units; May 
19, for 30 dosage units with one refill; July 24, for 30 dosage units; 
and September 8, for 30 dosage units with two refills. ALJ-1, at 3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \51\ Phentermine, or Adipex, is a Schedule IV controlled 
substance. See Stip. 8.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The administration of weight loss medication is regulated by state 
medical standards. See generally Wesley G. Harline, M.D., 65 Fed. Reg. 
5665 (2000) (discussing, at length, general practice and state medical 
standards for legitimately prescribing controlled substances for weight 
loss). The Mississippi Board has a special standard of care for 
practitioners who prescribe diet medication. See Miss. Code R. Sec.  
30-17-2640:1.5; see also GE-8; Tr. 171-72. Specifically, Rule 1.5 
requires a doctor prescribing weight loss drugs to: (1) only prescribe 
adjunctively with caloric restriction; (2) conduct and thoroughly 
record an initial comprehensive evaluation; (3) record a thorough 
patient history and physical exam; (4) conduct an in-person re-
evaluation of the patient once every 30 days, recording the patient's 
weight, BMI, blood pressure, pulse, and the results of all tests to 
monitor adverse effects of the medication; and (5) maintain records 
about the patient's weight loss efforts, dedication, responses, 
contraindications, and adverse effects during treatment. Miss. Code R. 
Sec.  30-17-2640:1.5. The patient's history and physical exam must, at 
a minimum, document:
    1. Past medical history, past surgical history, social history, 
family history, weight history, dietary history, gynecological (GYN) 
history if female, review of systems, allergies and medications.
    2. Height, weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, pulse, % 
body fat or waist circumference/weight hip ratio, HEENT, chest, heart, 
abdomen, extremities.

[[Page 54842]]

    3. Appropriate testing related to medical weight loss . . . .

Id.

    The Government presented evidence that the Respondent wrote four 
prescriptions for phentermine to CI. On April 9, 2014, the Respondent 
prescribed 30 units of Adipex 37.5 to CI. GE-7, at 1-2; GE-49, at 2. On 
May 19, 2014, the Respondent prescribed 30 units of Adipex 37.5, with 
one refill to CI. GE-7, at 3-4; GE-41, at 2-3; GE-49, at 2. On July 24, 
2014, the Respondent prescribed 30 units of Adipex 37.5 to CI. GE-7, at 
5-6; GE-41, at 12-13; GE-49, at 2. On September 8, 2014, the Respondent 
prescribed 30 units of phentermine 37.5 with two refills to CI. GE-7, 
at 7-8; GE-41, at 18-19; GE-49, at 2. During 2014, CI filled these 
prescriptions seven times. GE-49, at 1-2.
    In the administrative record, there are only four notations in the 
Respondent's files related to phentermine, Adipex, or weight loss 
prescriptions. The first mention of phentermine is in the Respondent's 
patient file for Kid 1 near a date stamp reading February 4, 2014. GE-
57, at 6; Tr. 286. That note reads, ``Mother has migraines ? in 
children May call in Rx if needed. Discussed phentermine c mother May 
consider this as well.'' GE-57, at 6. The second time phentermine was 
mentioned was in a March 19, 2014 entry in Kid 1's patient file. That 
note reads, ``Discussed [illegible] medications c mother Rx [illegible] 
Phentermine 37.5.'' GE-57, at 5; Tr. 286. The third mention of 
phentermine, and the first in the Respondent's patient file for CI, is 
dated July 18, 2014. GE-2, at 15. This third mention is on a patient 
telephone request form, which indicated that CI called the Respondent 
to ask about a refill of ``phentermine 37.5 (#30, 2)'' for her to 
``pick up at front.'' GE-2, at 15. The final mention of phentermine, 
and the only one contained in the Respondent's treatment notes of CI, 
is dated September 2, 2014. GE-2, at 12. This last entry simply reads, 
``Phentermine (refilled).'' GE-2, at 12.
    Accordingly, while prescribing phentermine to CI on April 9, May 
19, July 24, and September 8, the Respondent completely failed to 
comply with the requirements of Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.5. 
The Respondent never prescribed phentermine adjunctively with caloric 
restriction. He never conducted and recorded an initial comprehensive 
evaluation. He never recorded a thorough patient history or physical 
examination. He never conducted an in-person re-evaluation of CI once 
every 30 days. He never recorded CI's, BMI, blood pressure, pulse, past 
medical history, social history, family history, dietary history, 
gynecological history, height, weight, or body measurements. He did not 
document CI's efforts to lose weight or note her response to treatment.
    A prescriber lacks good faith if he prescribes controlled 
substances to a patient who the prescriber knew or should have known 
had no legitimate medical need for the controlled substances 
prescribed. Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.4. It is concerning that 
the Respondent wholly failed to document any justification whatsoever 
for CI's supposed need for weight loss medication. During 2014, CI went 
from 135 pounds down to 121 pounds. Tr. 224. At the hearing, CI 
presented with a slender body type. After observing CI's appearance, I 
find it difficult to comprehend, from even a layman's perspective, how 
the Respondent could have possibly believed that CI had a high enough 
BMI \52\ to justify the administration of weight loss medication.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \52\ See Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-2640:1.5(A)(4) (requiring 
generally a BMI of greater than 30.0 in a normal, otherwise healthy 
patient to justify prescribing weight loss drugs); see also Minnix 
v. Colvin, No. 2:12CV00038, 2014 WL 618688, at *3 n.3 (W.D. Va. Feb. 
18, 2014) (defining a BMI of 30 or higher as obesity) (citing Nat'l 
Inst. of Health, Calculate Your Body Mass Index, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm (last visited 
May 18, 2016)).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Respondent displayed a complete disregard for Mississippi's 
weight loss prescription requirements. He prescribed weight loss drugs 
to CI without any documented medical justification. GE-2, at 12-13. 
``[W]here a medical record contains no findings that support a 
diagnosis, . . . expert testimony is not necessary to conclude that a 
prescription lacked a legitimate medical purpose.'' McNichol, 77 Fed. 
Reg. at 57151 (citations omitted). Therefore, the Government's 
allegations that the Respondent violated Mississippi Administrative 
Rule 1.5, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR 
Sec.  1306.04(a), by prescribing phentermine to CI on April 9, May 19, 
July 24, and September 8 of 2014 are SUSTAINED by a preponderance of 
the evidence, and weigh in favor of the revocation sought by the 
Government.
    The Respondent argued in his post-hearing brief that, after 
receiving the Mississippi Board's warning letter, he refused to 
prescribe weight loss medication to an undercover agent. ALJ-34, at 6. 
The Respondent argued that this refusal showed that he ``came promptly 
into conformity'' with Mississippi's weight loss medication prescribing 
standards. ALJ-34, at 6. However, even if the Respondent took remedial 
measures, those measures, standing alone, cannot rebut the Government's 
prima facie case for revocation unless the Respondent also accepted 
responsibility for his actions. See Michael S. Moore, M.D., 76 Fed. 
Reg. 45867, 45868 (2011); Hassman, 75 Fed. Reg. at 8236. The Respondent 
did not testify and did not accept responsibility. Accordingly, the 
Respondent failed to rebut the Government's prima facie case for 
revocation based upon his violation of state regulations that detail 
the requirements for prescribing weight loss medication.
Allegation 3: Prescribing to CI's Children: Physical Examinations, 
Propriety of Prescriptions, and True Intended Recipient
    In Allegation 3, the Government claimed that, from February 7 to 
November 19 of 2014, the Respondent prescribed hydrocodone products to 
CI's children without conducting examinations, and that the 
prescriptions were for CI's personal use, in violation of Mississippi 
Administrative Rules 1.4, 1.10, 1.11(b),\53\ and 1.16, Mississippi Code 
Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a) and 
1306.05(a). ALJ-1, at 2-3. Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.10 
requires that a prescription for a controlled substance contain ``the 
complete name and address of the patient to whom the physician is 
prescribing the controlled substance.'' Miss. Code R. Sec.  30-17-
2640:1.10. Likewise, 21 CFR Sec.  1306.05(a) requires that a controlled 
substance prescription must ``bear the full name and address of the 
patient.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \53\ For the reasons previously discussed, supra note 44, the 
Government's allegation that the Respondent violated Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.11(b) is NOT SUSTAINED.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Additionally, the Government alleged that the Respondent prescribed 
hydrocodone-homatropine (``cough'') syrup, or Hycodan, to CI's 
children, who were under the age of six, even though cough syrup is not 
recommended for children under the age of six because of a risk of 
death. ALJ-1, at 3. The Government alleged that the Respondent 
prescribed adult dosages of this cough syrup to these children, even 
though the recommended dosage for children aged six to eleven is half 
of the adult dosage. ALJ-1, at 2-3.
    The Government further alleged that the Respondent issued the 
following improper prescriptions for hydrocodone combination products 
to CI's children in

[[Page 54843]]

2014: (a) to Kid 2 on February 7, for 150 dosage units, with one 
refill; (b) to Kid 1 on June 17, for 180 dosage units, with one refill; 
(c) to Kid 2 on July 23, for 480 dosage units; (d) to Kid 2 on 
September 2, for 120 dosage units; (e) to Kid 2 on November 3, for 180 
dosage units; and (f) to Kid 1 on November 19, for 115 dosage units. 
ALJ-1, at 2-3.

A. The February 7 Prescription

    On February 7, 2014, the Respondent wrote a prescription for 240 
units of Hycodan to Kid 2. GE-50, at 1; GE-55, at 1-2. The Respondent's 
medical file for Kid 2 appeared to contain a notation from 2014, 
possibly from February 7, documenting a Hycodan prescription. See GE-
56, at 4. The copy of the medical file partially cut off this notation 
because it was at the bottom of a copied page. See GE-56, at 4. The 
only legible part of the notation appears to read, ``Hycodan (8 oz, 2 
refills) to Brookhaven Walmart.'' See GE-56 at 4.
    CI testified that the Respondent did not examine Kid 2 before 
prescribing cough syrup to her in February. Tr. 217, 251. The 
Respondent's patient file for Kid 2 does not include any notes about 
any physical examination on that date. The Respondent did not document 
a diagnosis for Kid 2 on that date. Because this required information 
was not recorded prior to prescribing controlled substances to Kid 2, 
the Government's allegation that the Respondent violated Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.4 by failing to conduct a physical examination of 
Kid 2 is SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and weighs in 
favor of the revocation sought by the Government. Because this 
prescription violated Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4, it was 
issued outside of the course of the Respondent's legitimate 
professional practice under Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.16. 
Therefore, the Government's allegations that the Respondent violated 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.16, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-
25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a) on February 7, 2014, are 
also SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor 
of the revocation sought by the Government.
    Just 15 days before the February 7, 2014 prescription, the 
Respondent prescribed 120 units (or 24 days' worth) of Hycodan syrup to 
Kid 2. See GE-50, at 1; GE-56, at 4. Thus, Kid 2 still should have had 
approximately nine days of Hycodan syrup remaining from her last 
prescription and should not have needed additional Hycodan syrup on 
February 7, much less double the original dosage. See GE-50, at 1 
(showing that the January 24, 2014 prescription was a 24-day supply). 
CI discussed the real reason that the Respondent wrote this 
prescription. CI testified that, in February 2014, the Respondent 
prescribed a big bottle of cough syrup to Kid 2 so that CI could drink 
it as well, even though the Respondent knew that CI did not have a 
cough. Tr. 216-17, 250-53, 259, 268, 273. While Kid 2 did have a cough 
at that time, Tr. 250-51, 253-55, I give full credit to CI's testimony 
that the Respondent knew that CI intended to consume some of Kid 2's 
Hycodan prescription. Considering the timing of the February 7 
prescription and its large dosage, I find, based on a totality of the 
circumstances, that a preponderance of evidence supports the conclusion 
that the Respondent knew that CI would consume at least part of Kid 2's 
February 7, 2014 prescription. It is a violation of 21 CFR Sec.  
1306.05 for a registrant to prescribe controlled substances to a 
patient knowing that someone other than the patient named on the 
prescription would receive the medication. Golden, 61 FR at 24811. 
Therefore, the Government's allegations that the February 7, 2014 
prescription violated Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.10 and 21 CFR 
Sec.  1306.05(a) are SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and 
weigh in favor of the revocation sought by the Government.

B. The June 17, July 23, and November 19 Prescriptions

    The Respondent wrote three prescriptions to CI's children without 
recording the prescriptions in the children's medical records. First, 
on June 17, 2014, the Respondent wrote a prescription for six ounces 
(or 180 units) of Hycodan syrup to Kid 1. GE-51, at 1; GE-55, at 3-4. 
The Respondent's patient file for Kid 1 does not contain any notes 
dated on or about \54\ June 17, 2014. See GE-57. The Respondent did not 
document a diagnosis for Kid 1 at this time. Then, on July 23, 2014, 
the Respondent wrote a prescription for 16 ounces (or 480 units) of 
Hycet liquid to Kid 2. GE-50, at 1; GE-55, at 5-6. The Respondent's 
patient file for Kid 2 does not contain any notes dated on or about 
July 23, 2014. See GE-56. Finally, on November 19, 2014, the Respondent 
wrote a prescription for eight ounces (or 115 units) of Hycodan for Kid 
1. GE-51, at 1; GE-55, at 11. The Respondent's patient file for Kid 1 
does not contain any notes on or about November 19, 2014. See GE-56.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \54\ Although the Respondent's patient file for Kid 1 includes 
notes from examinations on March 19, 2014, and June 9, 2014, the 
notes next to these dates do not contain any notations about a 
Hycodan prescription. See GE-57.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Respondent did not write the name, dose, strength, or quantity 
of any of these prescriptions in the medical records of CI's children. 
The Respondent did not record the dates of the prescriptions or the 
reasons for the prescriptions. The Respondent did not record any notes 
about any physical examinations on these dates. There is no evidence in 
the record before me indicating that the Respondent ever saw CI's 
children on the dates that he wrote these prescriptions to them. Even 
absent any expert testimony, failure to see a patient before 
prescribing medications to the patient is outside of the legitimate 
practice of medicine. Figueroa, 73 FR at 40381. Therefore, the 
Government's allegations that the June 17, 2014, and November 19, 2014 
prescriptions to Kid 1, and July 23, 2014 prescription to Kid 2, 
violated Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4 are SUSTAINED by a 
preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor of the revocation 
sought by the Government. Because these prescriptions violated 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4, they were issued outside of the 
course of the Respondent's legitimate professional practice under 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.16. Therefore, the Government's 
allegations that the Respondent violated Mississippi Administrative 
Rule 1.16, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR 
Sec.  1306.04(a) by issuing the June 17, July 23, and November 19 
prescriptions are SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and 
weigh in favor of the revocation sought by the Government.
    The Government further alleged that these prescriptions were issued 
for CI's personal use. The Government bears the burden of proof on this 
point. The administrative record in this case supports the conclusion 
that the Government established, by a preponderance of the evidence, 
that the Respondent knew that CI would consume at least part of the 
cough syrup he prescribed to CI's children on June 17, July 23, and 
November 19. In this regard, CI testified that: (1) she would tell the 
Respondent when her child would have a cough; (2) she never brought her 
children to see the Respondent regarding a cough; (3) she requested 
cough syrup from the Respondent because she enjoyed drinking it; and 
(4) she would request a big bottle of cough syrup. Tr. 220, 265-66, 
273. In addition, the administrative record supports CI's testimony 
that she did not bring her children to see the Respondent regarding a 
cough, as evidenced by their medical charts. GE-

[[Page 54844]]

56, at 2-4; GE-57, at 5-6. I find that CI's testimony, when considered 
cumulatively and in conjunction with other evidence of record, 
establishes that, at the time the Respondent wrote the June 17, July 
23, and November 19 prescriptions, he knew that CI would drink at least 
some of the cough syrup, though there was no medical reason for her to 
do so. Therefore, the Government's allegations that these three 
prescriptions violated Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.10 and 21 CFR 
Sec.  1306.05(a) are SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and 
weigh in favor of the revocation sought by the Government.

C. The September 2 and November 3 Prescriptions

    On September 2, 2014, the Respondent wrote a prescription for four 
ounces (or 120 units) of Hycodan for Kid 2. GE-50, at 1; GE-55, at 7-8. 
The Respondent's patient file for Kid 2 included some notes dated 
September 2, 2014. GE-56, at 3. These notes stated, ``URI Ears clear 
Nose, OC/OP mildly inflamed Lungs clear Rx [illegible] 15 Hycodan.'' 
GE-56, at 3. Because these notes indicate that the Respondent examined 
Kid 2, and because the Government did not enter any evidence contesting 
the accuracy of these notes, I find that the Government failed to show 
by substantial evidence that the Respondent did not conduct a physical 
examination of Kid 2 on September 2, and the Government's allegation to 
that effect is NOT SUSTAINED. However, Kid 2's medical record did not 
include any diagnosis or reason for prescribing Hycodan to Kid 2, as 
required by Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4. Additionally, the 
medical record did not clearly include the dose, strength, or quantity 
of Hycodan prescribed to Kid 2, as required by Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.4. Because the medical record did not contain 
this information, the Government's allegation that the September 2, 
2014 prescription to Kid 2 violated Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4 
is SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and weighs in favor of 
the revocation sought by the Government. Because this prescription 
violated Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4, it was issued outside of 
the course of the Respondent's legitimate professional practice under 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.16. Therefore, the Government's 
allegations that the Respondent violated Mississippi Administrative 
Rule 1.16, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR 
Sec.  1306.04(a) by issuing the September 2, 2014 prescription are also 
SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor of the 
revocation sought by the Government.
    Similarly, on November 3, 2014, the Respondent wrote a prescription 
for six ounces (or 180 units) of Hycodan for Kid 2. GE-50, at 1; GE-55, 
at 9-10. The Respondent wrote a note near a date stamp reading November 
4, 2014, in Kid 2's file. GE-56, at 2. This note said, ``[illegible] 5 
problems Rx Hycodan (6 oz) (requested).'' GE-56, at 2. The medical 
record did not include documentation of a diagnosis and reason for 
prescribing controlled substances, other than the fact that it was 
``requested.'' Moreover, the medical record did not include the dosage 
or strength of the Hycodan prescribed, as is required by Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.4. Further, the notes near the November 3, 2014 
date stamp did not indicate that the Respondent conducted any 
examination prior to prescribing Hycodan to Kid 2, as is required by 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4. Therefore, the Government's 
allegation that the November 3, 2014 prescription to Kid 2 violated 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.4 is SUSTAINED by a preponderance of 
the evidence, and weighs in favor of the revocation sought by the 
Government. Because this prescription violated Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.4, it was issued outside of the course of the 
Respondent's legitimate professional practice under Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.16. Therefore, the Government's allegations that 
the Respondent violated Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.16, 
Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), and 21 CFR Sec.  
1306.04(a) by issuing the November 3, 2014 prescription are also 
SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor of the 
revocation sought by the Government.
    The Government also alleged that the September 2 and November 3 
prescriptions were issued for CI's personal use. The Government bears 
the burden of proof on this point. The administrative record in this 
case supports the conclusion that the Government established, by a 
preponderance of the evidence, that the Respondent knew that CI would 
consume at least part of the cough syrup he prescribed to CI's children 
on September 2 and November 3. In this regard, CI testified that: (1) 
she would tell the Respondent when her child would have a cough: (2) 
she never brought her children to see the Respondent regarding a cough; 
(3) she requested cough syrup from the Respondent because she enjoyed 
drinking it; and (4) she would request a big bottle of cough syrup. Tr. 
220, 266, 273. In addition, the administrative record supports CI's 
testimony that she did not bring her children to see the Respondent 
regarding a cough, as evidenced by their medical charts. GE-56, at 2-4; 
GE-57, at 5-6. I find that CI's testimony, when considered cumulatively 
and in conjunction with other evidence of record, establishes that, at 
the time the Respondent wrote the September 2 and November 3 
prescriptions, he knew that CI would drink at least some of the cough 
syrup, though there was no medical reason for her to do so. Therefore, 
the Government's allegations that these two prescriptions violated 
Mississippi Administrative Rule 1.10 and 21 CFR 1306.05(a) are 
SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor of the 
revocation sought by the Government.

D. Dangerous Prescriptions

    The Government alleged that the Respondent prescribed cough syrup 
to CI's children, who were under the age of six, even though cough 
syrup is not recommended for children under the age of six because of a 
risk of death. ALJ-1, at 3. The Government also alleged that the 
Respondent prescribed adult dosages of cough syrup to these children, 
even though the recommended dosage for children aged six to eleven is 
half of the adult dosage. ALJ-1, at 2-3.
    There is no evidence on the record before me \55\ that indicates 
that it is improper to prescribe cough syrup to children. There is no 
evidence on the record before me that indicates that the dosages of 
cough syrup that the Respondent prescribed to CI's children were 
improper dosages. The Government did not offer an authentic, well-
founded medical opinion that the quantities and types of prescriptions 
to CI's children were improper. The Government had the burden of 
proving that the prescriptions were unlawful. See Ruben, 78 FR at 
38384. The Government failed to meet this burden. Accordingly, the 
Government's allegations regarding the propriety of the Respondent's 
prescriptions to CI's children are NOT SUSTAINED.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \55\ The Government offered into evidence three printouts from 
Web sites, allegedly obtained from the FDA's Web site, WebMD, and 
Drugs.com. See Gov't Proposed Exs. 4-6. Upon the Respondent's timely 
objection, I rejected these three exhibits because they were 
improper opinion testimony, lacked adequate foundation, and were not 
properly authenticated. See Tr. 418-26.

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[[Page 54845]]

Allegation 4: Fraudulent Prescriptions for CI through Undercover Agents 
\56\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \56\ In its post-hearing brief, the Government argued that this 
conduct should be analyzed under Factor Five. ALJ-35, at 21-24. 
However, in the Government's OSC/ISO and its presentation of 
evidence at the hearing, the Government made a strong argument that 
the Respondent's prescriptions to the undercover agents violated 
state and federal laws, and were acts of knowing diversion which 
reflected poorly on the Respondent's experience in dispensing 
controlled substances. Therefore, analysis of this conduct under 
Factors Two and Four is appropriate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In Allegation 4, the Government claimed that, on five occasions 
between March and October 2015, the Respondent prescribed controlled 
substances to undercover agents when he knew or should have known that 
the agents' prescription requests were fraudulent, in violation of 21 
U.S.C. Sec. Sec.  841(a) and 842(a) and 21 CFR Sec.  1306.04(a). ALJ-1, 
at 3. The Government alleged that the Respondent wrote seven 
hydrocodone prescriptions on five occasions to undercover agents, for 
190 total dosage units of hydrocodone tablets and 72 total dosage units 
of hydrocodone syrup. ALJ-1, at 11. The Government alleged that, on 
four of those occasions, the Respondent knew that CI would receive a 
portion of the prescribed medications. ALJ-1, at 3-4.

A. Undercover Appointments 1 through 4

    The evidence against the Respondent regarding the first four 
undercover appointments is significant, conclusive, and uncontested.
    The Respondent compared his diversion of drugs to CI with going to 
``buy drugs at a crack house.'' GE-28, file 2015-04-22_13-03-23_EDT, at 
2. In some sense, this was an apt description. Whenever CI asked the 
Respondent for drugs, he would attempt to convey them to her. Prior to 
each of the first four undercover appointments, CI clearly and 
repeatedly asked the Respondent for controlled substances.\57\ CI 
specifically named certain controlled substances that she wanted the 
Respondent to prescribe to Agent 1 and Agent 2 to divert to her.\58\ 
Although the Respondent wanted to be ignorant about the identities of 
CI's ``friends,'' \59\ the Respondent knew that Agent 1 and Agent 2 
were ``friends'' of CI \60\ and that they would give CI at least some 
of the drugs he prescribed to them.\61\ The Respondent had reason to 
know that Agent 1 and Agent 2 did not legitimately need medication for 
themselves.\62\ The Respondent had reason to know that Agent 1, Agent 
2, and CI were splitting their prescriptions.\63\ Therefore, based on 
the communications exchanged between the Respondent and CI, I find that 
the Respondent knew that Agent 1 and Agent 2 were ``not seeking 
treatment for a legitimate medical condition but [were] engaged in . . 
. diversion.'' See McNichol, 77 FR at 57148. Despite circumstances that 
plainly and unambiguously indicated diversion, the Respondent 
nonetheless prescribed drugs to Agent 1 and Agent 2 during the first 
four undercover appointments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \57\ GE-16, file 2015-03-16_18-51-48_EDT, at 20-21, 24-26 
(expressing that CI was seeking drugs before the first undercover 
appointment); GE-16, file 2015-03-18_11-03-33_EDT, at 2 (same); GE-
17, at 4 (same); see GE-16, file 2015-04-02_14-15-50_EDT, at 1 
(expressing that CI was seeking drugs before the second undercover 
appointment, and indicating that she had taken all of the drugs from 
the first appointment too quickly); see also GE-28, file 2015-04-
13_20-26-31_EDT, at 7 (expressing that CI was seeking more drugs 
before the third and fourth undercover appointments); GE-28, file 
2015-04-28_20-23-38_EDT, at 1 (same); GE-38, at 2-3 (same).
    \58\ GE-16, file 2015-03-17_13-07-36_EDT, at 4 (asking for 
Lorcet/Norco before the first undercover appointment); GE-17, at 3 
(same); GE-18, at 3 (asking for Norco before the first undercover 
appointment); see GE-16, file 2015-04-02_15-04-43_EDT, at 1-2 
(asking for a double dosage, presumably of Norco, before the second 
undercover appointment); see also GE-28, file 2015-04-28_20-23-
38_EDT, at 1 (asking for cough medicine before the third and fourth 
undercover appointments); GE-29, at 7 (same); GE-38, at 3-4 (asking 
for a ``big bottle'' of cough syrup before the third and fourth 
undercover appointments); GE-39, at 5 (asking for cough medicine 
before the third and fourth undercover appointments).
    \59\ GE-28, file 2015-04-22_13-03-23_EDT, at 4-5 (expressing his 
desire to remain ignorant before the third and fourth undercover 
appointments); GE-28, file 2015-04-27_14-45-16_EDT, at 1 (same); GE-
38, at 2 (same). The Respondent even stated at one point, ``if 
[Agent 1 is] coming in for what I think she's coming in, tell her 
not to tell me that. That needs to be your secret. I don't wanna 
know that. She needs to have a headache and I will treat her for a 
headache, and so don't mind giving her prescriptions to treat a 
headache.'' GE-17, at 7.
    \60\ GE-16, file 2015-04-07_13-29-34_EDT, at 2 (discussing CI 
accompanying Agent 1 to her appointment); GE-16, file 2015-04-07_18-
28-45_EDT, at 7-8 (same); GE-16, file 2015-04-08_10-16-03_EDT, at 1 
(saying that Agent 1 knew about their relationship); GE-17, at 6-7 
(identifying Agent 1 before the first undercover appointment); GE-
21, at 5-6 (identifying Agent 1 before the second undercover 
appointment); see GE-21, at 8 (asking the Respondent to bring Agent 
1's prescriptions to his rendezvous with CI at Walmart to save her 
money); see also GE-28, file 2015-04-22_13-03-23_EDT, at 4-5 
(recognizing Agent 1 as CI's friend before the third and fourth 
undercover appointments); GE-28, file 2015-04-28_20-23-38_EDT, at 1 
(identifying Agent 1 and Agent 2 as CI's friends before the third 
and fourth undercover appointments); GE-40, at 2 (recognizing that, 
at the time of Agent 2's appointment, the Respondent knew that Agent 
2 was affiliated with CI and Agent 1).
    \61\ GE-16, file 2015-03-18_11-03-33_EDT, at 2-4 (suggesting 
that CI could send a friend in to get prescriptions before the first 
undercover appointment); GE-17, at 3 (same, and acknowledging, 
before the first undercover appointment, that any prescriptions to 
CI's friends would be diverted to CI); GE-17, at 7 (advising that 
the prescriptions he gave to Agent 1 would be fine for CI to take); 
GE-18, at 3 (stating, before the first undercover appointment, that 
the Respondent would write prescriptions for Agent 1 so CI could 
have the medication); see GE-14, at 1 (identifying Agent 1 as CI's 
friend, and discussing how the Respondent ``hooked [CI] up,'' before 
the second undercover appointment); GE-16, file 2015-04-02_14-15-
50_EDT, at 1-2 (same); GE-21, at 13 (thanking the Respondent for 
``hooking'' her up before the second undercover appointment); GE-28, 
file 2015-04-28_20-23-38_EDT, at 1 (asking the Respondent to 
``[h]ook'' up CI's friend before the third and fourth undercover 
appointments).
    \62\ E.g., GE-16, file 2015-04-02_14-15-50_EDT, at 2; GE-16, 
file 2015-04-02_15-04-43_EDT, at 1-2.
    \63\ GE-28, file 2015-04-27_14-45-16_EDT, at 1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Even beyond this, the Respondent took extra efforts to facilitate 
the diversion of drugs to CI. The Respondent discussed the scheduling 
of Agent 1 and Agent 2's appointments with CI, and CI reminded him 
about the timing of those appointments.\64\ The Respondent asked CI to 
tell her friends to pretend they had headaches and act like legitimate 
patients.\65\ After the third and fourth undercover appointments, the 
Respondent praised Agent 1 and Agent 2 for acting very appropriately by 
going ``through the motions.'' GE-40, at 2. After each of the first 
four appointments, CI told the Respondent that she had received the 
drugs prescribed to Agent 1 and Agent 2; in response, the Respondent 
stated that he was happy to help get drugs to CI.\66\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \64\ GE-18, at 3 (discussing the first undercover appointment); 
GE-23 (discussing, before the second undercover appointment, the 
need to space out the appointments more); see GE-16, file 2015-04-
06_20-59-35_EDT, at 2 (discussing the second undercover 
appointment); see also GE-28, file 2015-04-22_10-28-41_EDT, at 3-4 
(discussing the third and fourth undercover appointments); GE-28, 
file 2015-04-22_13-03-23_EDT, at 4 (same); GE-28, file 2015-04-
28_20-23-38_EDT, at 1 (same); GE-29, at 7 (same).
    \65\ GE-18, at 3 (instructing CI to tell Agent 1 to ``play it 
straight'' and tell him what he needed to write in his chart at the 
first undercover appointment).
    \66\ GE-14, at 1 (telling CI, after the first undercover 
appointment, that he was happy to meet Agent 1 and hoped it helped, 
and receiving thanks from CI for ``hooking'' her up); GE-14, at 2 
(acknowledging that the prescriptions that he gave to Agent 1 went 
to CI); GE-19, at 1 (asking CI if everything ``went smooth with 
getting your medication'' and expressing that he was happy to help); 
GE-40, at 1-2 (asking CI if she got the medication and expressing 
that he was ``glad all that worked out'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    It is true that the Respondent conducted appointments with Agents 1 
and 2, and wrote notes in their medical files. In that aspect, this 
case is similar to Robert F. Hunt, D.O., 75 FR 49995 (2010). Dr. Hunt 
had said that he wrote information on a patient's chart ``just to cover 
[his] ass.'' Id. at 50003. The DEA held that this statement made it 
``clear that [Dr. Hunt] knew that he lacked a legitimate medical 
purpose for prescribing'' controlled substances. Id. Similarly, 
although the Respondent

[[Page 54846]]

conducted appointments with Agents 1 and 2 and wrote notes in their 
medical files, the Respondent's statements to CI before and after each 
of the first four appointments made it clear that the Respondent was 
unquestionably prescribing controlled substances to Agents 1 and 2 to 
intentionally divert drugs to CI. His statements also make clear that 
the records he was keeping concerning Agents 1 and 2 were merely to 
keep the Mississippi Board investigators at bay. E.g., GE-18, at 3.
    Moreover, the fact that a registrant conducted a medical 
appointment before prescribing controlled substances does not, standing 
by itself, validate the prescriptions issued; rather, an appointment 
may be used by a prescriber as ``a sham justification to support an 
unlawful prescription.'' McNichol, 77 Fed. Reg. at 57148. An 
appointment can constitute a perfunctory, sham examination if the 
registrant ``already agreed to issue'' certain prescriptions to a 
patient. Darryl J. Mohr, M.D., 77 Fed. Reg. 34998, 35000 (2012).
    This is precisely what happened here. Before each of the first four 
undercover appointments, the record unambiguously shows that the 
Respondent knew exactly what he would prescribe to Agents 1 and 2 
before they ever walked through his door, because he knew what drugs CI 
had requested. For example, the Respondent prescribed Hycodan to Agent 
1, even though she was not coughing during her appointment, because he 
had told CI that he would get eight ounces of cough syrup to her. GE-
33, at 1; GE-38, at 3-4, 8; Tr. 113. Following the second appointment, 
the Respondent himself acknowledged the sham nature of the appointment; 
he stated that he had made small talk with Agent 1 because ``we had to 
be in there more than ten seconds'' so that his ``nosy nurse'' would 
not think, ``[d]ang, why is this appointment over with in ten 
seconds?'' GE-27, at 1, 5. It is not surprising that, during Agent 1's 
second appointment, the Respondent did not bother to conduct even a 
sham physical examination. See GE-24-25; Tr. 103-04, 132.
    The facts of this case present an appalling and flagrant disregard 
of a registrant's duty to prescribe controlled substances only to 
legitimate patients. While the Respondent told CI that his feelings for 
her needed to be ``totally separate from [his] medical practice,'' GE-
20, he was unable to follow his own internal guidance. In fact, the 
size of the Respondent's diversion was significant: during the first 
four undercover appointments, the Respondent prescribed a total of 160 
units of Norco and eight ounces of Hycodan to the undercover agents, 
who he believed would divert those drugs to CI.\67\ The Respondent 
repeatedly joked about providing CI access to all the drugs that she 
wanted.\68\ Even though the Respondent did not take his 
responsibilities as a registrant seriously, he did understand the 
potential legal consequences of his actions. The Respondent repeatedly 
expressed a fear of getting in trouble for diverting drugs to CI.\69\ 
This reflects that the Respondent undoubtedly knew that his actions 
were wrong.\70\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \67\ GE-11, at 1 (prescribing 40 units of Norco 10/325 to Agent 
1 at the first undercover appointment); GE-26, at 1 (prescribing 40 
units of Norco 10/325 to Agent 1 at the second undercover 
appointment); GE-32 (prescribing 40 units of Norco 10/325 to Agent 1 
at the third undercover appointment); GE-33, at 1 (prescribing eight 
ounces of Hycodan to Agent 1 at the third undercover appointment); 
GE-36, at 1 (prescribing 40 units of Norco 10/325 to Agent 2 at the 
fourth undercover appointment).
    \68\ GE-16, file 2015-03-17_13-07-36_EDT, at 7 (joking before 
the first undercover appointment); GE-16, file 2015-03-18_11-03-
33_EDT, at 4 (same); GE-16, file 2015-04-02_15-04-43_EDT, at 1-2 
(joking before the second undercover appointment); GE-29, at 9 
(joking after the third and fourth undercover appointments); GE-38, 
at 2 (joking before the third and fourth undercover appointments).
    \69\ GE-16, file 2015-03-17_13-07-36_EDT, at 7 (admitting fear 
before the first undercover appointment); GE-16, file 2015-04-02_14-
15-50_EDT, at 2 (instructing CI to keep things hidden); GE-17, at 2 
(expressing fear before the first undercover appointment); see GE-
14, at 1 (expressing fear after the first undercover appointment); 
GE-16, file 2015-04-02_15-04-43_EDT, at 2 (discussing avoiding 
detection before the second undercover appointment); GE-16, file 
2015-04-07_13-29-34_EDT, at 2 (same); GE-16, file 2015-04-07_18-28-
45_EDT, at 7-8 (same); see also GE-28, file 2015-04-22_10-28-41_EDT, 
at 3-4 (expressing concern about getting caught before the third and 
fourth undercover appointments); GE-28, file 2015-04-22_13-03-
23_EDT, at 4 (same); GE-38, at 2 (same).
    \70\ See GE-16, file 2015-03-18_11-03-33_EDT, at 2-3 (reflecting 
his knowledge that his actions were wrongful before the first 
undercover appointment); GE-38, at 8 (expressing his fear that he 
might be ``busted'' by the ``drug police'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I find that, during the first four undercover appointments, the 
Respondent knew that Agent 1 and Agent 2 were not real patients and 
that at least some of the medications he prescribed to them would be 
given to CI. I find that the Respondent prescribed medications to Agent 
1 and Agent 2 upon CI's request for those medications. I further find 
that, when the Respondent wrote prescriptions to Agent 1 and Agent 2 
during those four appointments, the Respondent intended to divert drugs 
to CI. Thus, by ``providing evidence showing that [the Respondent] 
knowingly diverted drugs,'' the Government proved that the Respondent 
acted outside of the usual course of his professional practice and 
lacked a legitimate medical purpose. See Danton, 76 Fed. Reg. at 60901. 
Therefore, the Government's allegations that the first four undercover 
appointments violated 21 U.S.C. Sec. Sec.  841(a) and 842(a), and 21 
CFR Sec.  1306.04(a) are SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, 
and weigh in favor of the revocation sought by the Government.
    To the extent that the Respondent's actions are interpreted as 
prescribing controlled substances to CI indirectly,\71\ his 
prescriptions are grave violations of 21 CFR 1306.04(a). On this point, 
this case bears a striking similarity to Annicol Marrocco, M.D., 80 FR 
28695 (2015). In that case, Dr. Marrocco prescribed controlled 
substances to her lover, but did not physically see her lover for three 
to six months while he was using those prescriptions. Id. at 28703. The 
DEA found that Dr. Marrocco lacked a legitimate purpose for her 
prescriptions because she was unable to supervise her lover's use of 
his medication, which reflected ``a stunning disregard for [Dr. 
Marrocco's] obligations as a prescriber of controlled substances.'' 
Id.; see Figueroa, 73 FR at 40381 (noting that failure to see a patient 
before prescribing medication deviates from the legitimate practice of 
medicine). Similarly, other than two brief interactions in public 
places, the Respondent never saw CI while he was prescribing controlled 
substances to Agent 1 and Agent 2 to divert to CI. Therefore, the 
Respondent could not monitor CI's use of controlled substances.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \71\ See supra note 43.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Additionally, prescribing controlled substances based on a 
patient's request, ``rather than the result of the application of the 
physician's medical judgment,'' lacks a legitimate medical purpose. 
Golden, 61 FR at 24812 (citing Dougherty, 60 FR 55047; Borcherding, 60 
FR 28796). The Respondent's prescriptions to Agent 1 and Agent 2 were 
based only on CI's request for certain controlled substances, not on 
any physical examination or medical evaluation. Under Mississippi 
Administrative Rule 1.4(a), such prescribing establishes that the 
Respondent lacked good faith in issuing these prescriptions.
    For these reasons, to the extent that the Respondent's 2015 
prescriptions to Agent 1 and Agent 2 are perceived as indirect 
prescriptions to CI, they clearly violate Mississippi Administrative 
Rules 1.4 and 1.16, Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  73-25-29(3) and (13), 
and 21 CFR 1306.04(a), and the Government's allegations to that effect 
are

[[Page 54847]]

SUSTAINED by a preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor of the 
revocation sought by the Government.
    In addition, the Respondent diverted controlled substances to CI 
through the undercover agents after he knew that CI attempted to commit 
suicide. Such actions reflect an astonishing level of irresponsibility 
in the Respondent's prescribing activity. In McNichol, the DEA held 
under Factors Two and Four that a prescriber's statement, which 
reflected concern about putting a patient potentially ``in jeopardy of 
overdose,'' made it ``clear that [the prescriber] believed that [the 
patient] was a drug abuser.'' 77 FR at 57149. Similarly, in Jayam 
Krishna-Iyer, the DEA held that ``[a] practitioner who ignores the 
warning signs that [his] patients are either personally abusing or 
diverting controlled substances commits `acts inconsistent with the 
public interest,' 21 U.S.C. 824(a)(4), even if [he] is merely gullible 
or na[iuml]ve.'' 74 FR at 460 n.3. Additionally, it is ``relevant that 
[a registrant], knowing that the CI had been treated for drug abuse, 
facilitated her access to controlled substances.'' Golden, 61 FR at 
24812.
    Here, the facts indicate that the Respondent knew his prescribing 
actions put CI's health in danger. The Respondent knew that CI 
previously had attempted to commit suicide using drugs he prescribed to 
her. He knew she was still depressed. GE-28, file 2015-04-15_21-30-
59_EDT, at 9. He expressed fear and concern that she would take too 
many pills, resulting in ``unfixably bad'' damage and a ``long, 
agonizing, painful way to go.'' GE-14, at 1; GE-17, at 4. In spite of 
all of this, the Respondent continued to divert controlled substances 
to CI and said he was ``glad'' to do so. GE-19, at 1; GE-40, at 1; Tr. 
230-31. Under these circumstances, the Respondent's continued 
prescribing controlled of substances to CI reflects negatively on the 
Respondent's experience in dispensing controlled substances.

B. Undercover Appointment #5

    Although the Government did not allege that the Respondent's 
prescriptions to Agent 1 during the fifth undercover appointment were 
knowing attempts to divert drugs to CI, the Government alleged that the 
October 2015 prescriptions violated 21 U.S.C. 841(a) and 842(a) and 21 
CFR 1306.04(a) because the Respondent knew or should have known that 
Agent 1's prescription requests were fraudulent. See ALJ-1, at 3-4.
    The Government presented no evidence of any communications between 
the Respondent and CI or Agent 1 immediately preceding Agent 1's 
October 2015 appointment. At the appointment, Agent 1 met with the 
Respondent, who examined her ears, nose, and throat. Tr. 120, 132. The 
Respondent appeared to not remember Agent 1. Tr. 120, 135, 452; see GE-
42-43.
    Only the first portion of the appointment was recorded, and no 
witnesses were able to confidently recall the whole conversation 
between Agent 1 and the Respondent. In response to Agent 1's inquiry, 
the Respondent indicated during the appointment that he did not 
remember Agent 2. GE-42-43. When Agent 1 asked the Respondent if he had 
heard from CI lately, the Respondent paused, and looked surprised, 
before saying that he had not. Tr. 122-23, 135, 452-53. Agent 1 said 
that she needed the ``same as before,'' but did not tell the Respondent 
that she had any specific complaints. GE-42-43; Tr. 454. The Respondent 
discussed the efficacy of medication with Agent 1. GE-43, at 2-3. Agent 
1 never said she had a cough. GE-42-43; Tr. 126, 454. Nonetheless, the 
Respondent prescribed cough syrup, among other things, to Agent 1. GE-
45; Tr. 139.
    The Respondent's medical file for Agent 1 indicated that Agent 1 
had ``migraine headaches, as before Weather changes may make it worse 
Maxalt helps most of the time Norco works okay as a backup Dry 
[illegible] cough; no [illegible] to be allergy related Allergy 
symptoms Ears clear OC/OP clear Nose c somewhat [illegible] Lungs 
clear.'' GE-60, at 4. The Respondent also recorded that he wrote five 
prescriptions to CI, including 30 units of Norco 5/325 and four ounces 
of Hycodan. GE-60, at 4.
    These facts summarize the totality of the evidence before me 
concerning the October 2015 undercover appointment. Based on these 
facts, I find that there is not substantial evidence that the 
Respondent knew or should have known that Agent 1's prescription 
requests were fraudulent. The recordings and testimony do not clearly 
indicate that Agent 1 was presenting sham symptoms to the Respondent. 
Agent 1's patient file indicated that the Respondent examined Agent 1, 
recorded her complaints, and recorded the prescriptions he gave to her. 
Importantly, the Government did not allege that the Respondent's 
medical record for Agent 1 from the October appointment was deficient; 
it only alleged that he knew or should have known that Agent 1's 
prescription requests were fraudulent. The Government bears the burden 
of proof on this point. ``[U]nder the substantial evidence test, the 
evidence must `do more than create a suspicion of the existence of the 
fact to be established.''' Alvin Darby, M.D., 75 FR 26993, 26999 n.31 
(2010) (citing NLRB v. Columbian Enameling & Stamping Co., 306 U.S. 
292, 300 (1939)). The Government failed to meet this burden. The 
Government offered insufficient evidence to support a conclusion that 
the Respondent knew or should have known that, five and a half months 
after last seeing Agent 1, and while reviewing a new medical chart, her 
requests during the October 2015 appointment were fraudulent. 
Therefore, the Government's allegations that the fifth undercover 
appointment violated 21 U.S.C. 841(a) and 842(a), and 21 CFR 
1306.04(a), because the Respondent knew or should have known that Agent 
1's prescription requests were fraudulent are NOT SUSTAINED.
Allegation 5: Prescriptions Issued in 2014 and 2015
    The Government alleged that, from February 2014 to October 2015, 
the Respondent unlawfully prescribed controlled substances in violation 
of 21 U.S.C. 841(a) and 842(a). ALJ-1, at 2. Specifically, the 
Government alleged that the Respondent prescribed controlled substances 
when he knew or should have known that they were not prescribed for 
legitimate medical purposes, and were not written in the usual course 
of professional practice, in violation of 21 CFR 1306.04(a) and 
Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  41-29-137(a)(1) and 41-29-141(1). ALJ-1, at 
2. Those sections of the Mississippi Code provide that it is illegal 
for practitioners to dispense Schedule II controlled substances without 
a valid written prescription. Miss. Code Sec. Sec.  41-29-137(a)(1), 
41-29-141(1).
    Under Allegation 1, I sustained the Government's allegations that 
the Respondent's 2014 prescriptions to CI on May 22, June 17, September 
11, October 6, and December 4 were outside the usual course of his 
professional practice and were illegitimate prescriptions that violated 
21 CFR 1306.04(a). Under Allegation 2, I sustained the Government's 
allegations that the Respondent's 2014 prescriptions to CI on April 9, 
May 19, July 24, and September 8 were outside the usual course of his 
professional practice and were illegitimate prescriptions that violated 
21 CFR 1306.04(a). Under Allegation 3, I sustained the Government's 
allegations that the Respondent's 2014 prescriptions to Kid 2 on 
February 7, July 23, September 2, and November 3, and the Respondent's 
prescriptions to

[[Page 54848]]

Kid 1 on June 17 and November 19, were outside the usual course of his 
professional practice and were illegitimate prescriptions that violated 
21 CFR 1306.04(a). Finally, under Allegation 4, I sustained the 
Government's allegations that the Respondent's prescriptions written 
during the first four undercover appointments in 2015 were fraudulent 
and violated 21 CFR 1306.04(a).
    I have held that all of these prescriptions were issued outside of 
the Respondent's usual course of professional practice and were not 
issued for legitimate medical purposes. Therefore, the Government's 
allegation that the Respondent violated 21 CFR 1306.04(a) is SUSTAINED 
by a preponderance of the evidence, and weighs in favor of the 
revocation sought by the Government. The Government also established 
that some prescriptions were invalid because CI, rather than the named 
patient, was the actual intended recipient of several prescriptions. 
The Government's allegations that the Respondent's six prescriptions to 
CI's children, identified supra, and 2015 hydrocodone combination 
product prescriptions to the undercover agents at the first four 
undercover appointments violated Mississippi Code Sec. Sec.  41-29-
137(a)(1) and 41-29-141(1) are SUSTAINED.\72\ Because the Respondent 
issued illegitimate prescriptions, the Government's allegations that 
the Respondent violated 21 U.S.C. 841(a) and 842(a) are SUSTAINED by a 
preponderance of the evidence, and weigh in favor of the revocation 
sought by the Government.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \72\ Hydrocodone combination products were reclassified by the 
federal government as Schedule II controlled substances as of 
October 6, 2014. Stip. 6. The Government has not shown how 
hydrocodone combination products are scheduled in the state of 
Mississippi. The Government's allegations that the Respondent's 
prescriptions predating October 6, 2014, violated Mississippi Code 
Sec. Sec.  41-29-137(a)(1) and 41-29-141(1), which only address 
Schedule II controlled substances, are NOT SUSTAINED.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allegation 6: Meperidine Used in Suicide Attempt
    The Government alleged that the Respondent prescribed 30 dosage 
units of meperidine 50 mg to CI, which she used to try to kill herself. 
ALJ-1, at 3. The evidence shows that the Respondent prescribed Demerol 
to CI on September 2, 2014. GE-2, at 12; GE-49, at 2; Tr. 222, 296-97, 
317-18, 382. The Respondent appears to have been the only person to 
prescribe Demerol to CI. See GE-49. CI used the Demerol to attempt to 
commit suicide in December 2014. Tr. 222, 315-17. The Government, 
however, did not specify or argue why this Demerol prescription was 
improper. The Government did not allege or argue that the Respondent 
failed to conduct a physical examination of CI, or failed to maintain 
proper medical charts, when he prescribed Demerol to CI. The Government 
did not allege or argue that the Respondent knew or anticipated that CI 
would attempt to commit suicide using the Demerol he prescribed to her. 
The Government did not even allege or argue that the Respondent 
possessed anything other than a legitimate intent to treat CI's 
physical symptoms when he prescribed Demerol to her. Therefore, to the 
extent that the Government alleged that the Respondent's Demerol 
prescription to CI merits revocation of his COR, the Government's 
allegation is NOT SUSTAINED.
    Under Factors Two and Four,\73\ the Respondent's prescribing 
conduct indicates that his continued registration is not in the public 
interest. Therefore, Factors Two and Four militate strongly in favor of 
revocation of the Respondent's COR.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \73\ Both parties specifically discussed Factor Five in their 
post-hearing briefs. Factor Five considers conduct not otherwise 
addressed under Factors One through Four. 21 U.S.C. 823(f)(5). As 
discussed supra, the Respondent's actions in this case are most 
appropriately analyzed under Factors Two and Four. Therefore, 
consideration of this conduct under Factor Five, the ``catch-all'' 
factor, is inappropriate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECOMMENDATION

    Even if the Respondent had knowingly attempted to divert controlled 
substances to CI only one time, that alone would have been sufficient 
to make a prima facie case for revocation of the Respondent's license. 
See MacKay v. DEA, 664 F.3d 808, 819 (10th Cir. 2011). ``[P]roof of a 
single act of intentional or knowing diversion is sufficient to satisfy 
the Government's prima facie burden of showing that a practitioner's 
continued registration is inconsistent with the public interest, and if 
unrebutted by a showing that the practitioner accepts responsibility 
for his misconduct and will not engage in future misconduct, warrants 
the revocation of a registration.'' McNichol, 77 FR at 57145 (internal 
citations omitted); see also Krishna-Iyer, 74 FR at 462-64; Alan H. 
Olefsky, 57 FR 928, 928-29 (1992). In cases of knowing diversion, ``the 
[DEA] has an interest in deterring [the Respondent] and others from 
engaging in similar egregious behavior.'' Michael A. White, M.D., 79 FR 
62957, 62967 (2014).
    Here, the Government has proven far more than one act of knowing 
diversion. The Government has proven that the Respondent repeatedly and 
continually issued illegitimate prescriptions to CI and others for 
multiple types of drugs based solely on CI's request. The Government 
has proven that, on multiple occasions, the Respondent knowingly issued 
fraudulent prescriptions with the intent to divert drugs to CI. The 
Respondent's improper prescribing constituted an egregious level of 
intentional diversion. Accordingly, Factors Two and Four weigh heavily 
against the Respondent, and the Government has established a prima 
facie case supporting revocation of the Respondent's registration. 
Further, after evaluating all of the above established facts, I find 
that considerations of both specific and general deterrence also weigh 
in favor of revocation in this case.
    Because the Government has made a prima facie case that the 
Respondent's continued registration would be inconsistent with the 
public interest, the Respondent had the burden of production to 
``present[] sufficient mitigating evidence'' to show why he can be 
entrusted with a registration. See Med. Shoppe--Jonesborough, 73 FR at 
387 (quoting Samuel S. Jackson, D.D.S., 72 FR 23848, 23853 (2007)). 
Specifically, to rebut the Government's prima facie case, the 
Respondent must have both accepted responsibility for his actions and 
demonstrated that he would not engage in future misconduct. Stodola, 74 
FR at 20734-35. However, the Respondent offered no evidence \74\ that 
he accepted responsibility for his misconduct or reformed his ways. 
Therefore, the Respondent failed to rebut the Government's prima facie 
case.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \74\ The Government requested that I draw an adverse inference 
against the Respondent because of his failure to testify at the 
hearing. ALJ-35, at 27-28. However, I decline to do so because an 
adverse inference is unnecessary in light of the overwhelming 
evidence against the Respondent.
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    Because the Government proved that the Respondent's registration is 
inconsistent with the public interest, and because the Respondent 
failed to rebut the Government's prima facie case, I RECOMMEND that the 
Respondent's DEA Certificate of Registration be REVOKED and any 
applications for renewal or modification of his license be DENIED.
Dated: June 1, 2016
s/Charles Wm. Dorman
Administrative Law Judge
[FR Doc. 2016-19595 Filed 8-16-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4410-09-P