Date: 05-17-2017

Case Style:

Case Number: 1:16-cr-00045-PLM

Judge: Paul L. Maloney

Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (Kent County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Clay Stiffler

Defendant's Attorney: Richard Morgan

Description: Grand Rapids, MI - Albion Doctor Sentenced To 15 Months In Prison

Dr. Horace Junior Davis Illegally Prescribed Opioid Painkillers and Billed Insurance Companies for Services he Never Rendered

Doctor Horace Junior Davis, age 66, of Albion, Michigan, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for illegally prescribing opioid painkillers and committing healthcare fraud. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney also ordered that Dr. Davis pay restitution and serve two years on supervised release after his prison sentence.

Dr. Davis, who was the owner of the Albion Center for Family Medicine, illegally prescribed the powerful opioid painkiller methadone to several patients in 2011 – 2013. He sought to make money from the illegal prescriptions by fraudulently billing healthcare benefit programs for the patients who had insurance coverage, or by collecting cash from the patients who didn’t have insurance coverage.

Judge Maloney noted that illegal prescriptions such as the ones Dr. Davis wrote are part of a larger opioid epidemic currently affecting the United States. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control, deaths from prescription opioids – drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone – have more than quadrupled since 1999. The CDC says that opioids were involved in 33,000 deaths in 2015 alone, and 91 people die every day from an opioid overdose.

Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge said, "Whether it’s a supplier of heroin to street-corner dealers or a physician illegally writing prescriptions, my office will continue to hold accountable those who would profit from spreading the tragic curse of opioid addiction. Unfortunately, we will not end the epidemic through prosecution alone. My office has been and will continue to meet with education and health care professionals and those who may be able to make a difference to raise awareness of the danger of opioids and to discuss what they can do to save others from the awful consequences of spiraling addiction. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more."

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Albion Police Department, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, and IRS Criminal Investigations.

Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

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