Lubbock cardiologist agrees to $1.2 million settlement with DOJ in fake prescription case
Dr. Juan Kurdi, an interventional cardiologist who co-owned and co-operated Caprock Cardiovascular Center, entered into a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice, publicly acknowledging that he issued certain prescriptions under the names of family member and friends to obtain controlled substances for his own personal use, according to a DOJ news release.
In December 2023, the Texas Medical Board publicly reprimanded Kurdi and prohibited him from prescribing and administering drugs for a year after Caprock Cardiovascular Center suspended him after learning that he wrote fake prescriptions to obtain for his own personal use drugs such as Oxycodone, Alprazolam, Tramadol, Dextroamp-Amphetamine, Vyvanse, according the TMB website.
He was also ordered to take remedial courses in medical recordkeeping, risk management and ethics.
At present, Kurdi's medical license remains active, according to the TMB website.
Meanwhile, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Fort Worth Diversion Squad investigated Kurdi for violating the Controlled Substances Act.
The investigation revealed that Kurdi issued the prescriptions to people, some of whom lived thousands of miles away, who he was not treating and filled them at Lubbock-area pharmacies.
In many instances, Kurdi personally picked up the prescriptions.
The investigation resulted in the $1.2 million civil settlement that Kurdi agreed to pay.
'Prescribing opioids and other dangerous narcotics outside the usual course of professional practice betrays the trust placed in physicians by society and threatens public safety,' said Nancy E. Larson, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas in a news release. 'This settlement demonstrates our office's commitment to holding doctors accountable for violating their obligations to properly prescribe these powerful drugs.'
According to the news release, the agreement does not constitute an admission of liability by Kurdi. At present no criminal charges have been filed against him.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock cardiologist Kurdi agrees to $1.2 million settlement with DOJ
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