Here are four physicians facing drug charges reported by Becker's since Oct. 9:
1. New York pain management specialist Duane Dixon, MD, pleaded guilty to unlawful opioid distribution and healthcare fraud. Dr. Dixon, along with a co-conspirator, were charged with conspiring to distribute opioids without a medical purpose across several Virginia clinics operated by L5 Medical Holdings between 2014 and 2019.
2. San Diego-based physician Tien Tan Vo, MD, was sentenced to three years of probation for his yearslong use of unapproved, misbranded cosmetic drugs. From November 2016 to October 2020, Dr. Vo injected around 178 patients with unapproved injectable botulinum toxin or lip fillers that had been smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico.
3. 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 issued prescriptions for controlled substances to customers without actually treating them from at least December 2019 to August 2021.
4. Hillsdale, N.J.-based internist Lisa Ferraro, MD, was charged with conspiring to distribute oxycodone without legitimate medical reason. From January 2020 to August 2023, Dr. Ferraro allegedly participated in a conspiracy to prescribe oxycodone to individuals who posed as patients despite never actually seeing them.