Raphael Malikian, MD, a former physician based in Llano and Palmdale, Calif., pleaded guilty to federal narcotics charges for illegally dispensing and prescribing controlled substances.
Dr. Malikian, 39, issued prescriptions for controlled substances to customers without first obtaining the person's full medical history, conducting a physical examination, requiring medical testing or utilizing diagnostic tools from at least December 2019 to August 2021, according to an Oct. 16 news release from the Justice Department. Mr. Malikian did not verify his customers' identities before prescribing controlled substances and allowed customers to obtain prescriptions in the names of others.
Dr. Malikian prescribed controlled substance prescriptions to two co-conspirators, which the co-conspirators then filled and re-sold on the black market, according to the release. He prescribed hundreds of pills of oxycodone, alprazolam and other controlled substances without legitimate medical purpose to undercover police officers.
Dr. Malikian faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for distribution of oxycodone and up to four years in federal prison for aiding and abetting the acquisition of a controlled substance by fraud. His medical license was suspended by the Medical Board in 2021, and it expired in 2022.