A former physician in California was sentenced to 37 months in prison for illegally dispensing prescriptions for controlled substances during telemedicine sessions.
From at least December 2019 to August 2021, Raphael Malikian, MD, who owned and operated a medical clinic, issued prescriptions to customers without obtaining the person's full medical history, conducting a physical examination, requiring medical testing or using diagnostic tools, according to a March 4 news release from the Justice Department.
According to the release, Dr. Malikian also did not verify his customers' identities before prescribing controlled substances and allowed customers to obtain prescriptions in the names of others.
Among other allegations, Dr. Malikian prescribed 702 pills of 10 milligrams oxycodone and 240 milliliters of promethazine with codeine from April to July of 2020 to an undercover law enforcement officer without conducting proper evaluations or verifying their identity.
He must also pay a fine of $20,000.