A former Alamo, Calif., physician has been sentenced to more than one year in prison for distributing opioids out of the scope of medical practice.
Parto Karimi, MD, pleaded guilty in July 2023 to one count of distributing hydrocodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, according to a March 18 news release from the Justice Department.
Dr. Karimi practiced internal medicine from roughly 2011 to 2022 from an accessory dwelling unit in her home. The government began investigating Dr. Karimi after the family of one of her former patients, who passed away, contacted the Drug Enforcement Agency.
During one visit from an undercover agent, Dr. Karimi wrote a prescription for 60 high-dose Norco pills without conducting a physical examination, without asking follow-up questions about the undercover's reported pain, without obtaining medical records, and without exploring alternative treatment options or trying a lower dose.
As part of her sentencing, Dr. Karimi was also ordered to forfeit her California medical license and pay a $4,000 fine.