A former Charleston, W.Va., physician pleaded guilty to the unlawful distribution of oxycodone after being apprehended overseas and extradited to the U.S.
Alexander Otellin, MD, distributed controlled substances to a patient between 2014 and 2020. For about five months during that period, Dr. Otellin wrote prescriptions for oxycodone and other controlled substances without conducting evaluations of the patient, according to a Sept. 12 news release from the Justice Department.
Dr. Otellin admitted that the distribution of the substances did not have a legitimate medical purpose, was outside the usual course of medical practice and did not have proper authority, according to the Justice Department.
Dr. Otellin, who has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Russia, fled to Russia to avoid prosecution following a 2021 indictment by a federal grand jury, the department said.
In September 2023, Dr. Otellin entered Armenia, where he was detained. U.S. Marshals took custody of Dr. Otellin and transported him back to the U.S., arriving April 20, 2024.
Dr. Otellin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. In addition, he surrendered his medical license with the West Virginia Board of Medicine.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2025, the release said.