A federal jury in Nashville has convicted Dr. Samson Orusa, 59, of Clarksville, Tennessee, of 36 counts related to a pill mill operation at his medical practice.
The jury found Dr. Orusa guilty of maintaining a drug-involved premise, unlawfully distributing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose, health care fraud, money laundering, and laundering more than $10,000 of criminally derived property. The jury acquitted Dr. Orusa of nine counts of illegal distribution of oxycodone.
The evidence at trial established that Dr. Orusa, while operating a pain clinic in Clarksville, routinely prescribed oxycodone and other Schedule II controlled substances without obtaining the patient’s prior medical history, performing a physical examination, or ordering diagnostic tests of patients. Two patients overdosed while inside Dr. Orusa’s clinic.
Former employees and patients testified that Dr. Orusa’s clinic was a hub of activity, with a standing room only lobby area and an unsanitary public bathroom. Patients with insurance coverage were forced to visit the clinic four to six times a month and undergo cortisone shots to receive pain medication, and Dr. Orusa threatened to withhold pain management prescriptions from those who refused the injections.
Dr. Orusa faces up to 20 years in prison on each drug-related count and up to 10 years in prison on each healthcare fraud and money laundering count. The jury also determined that five bank accounts, one annuity and one 401K, with a combined value of more than $918,000, and a 2017 Mercedes Benz, are subject to forfeiture.
Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart praised the prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their hard work in investigating and prosecuting the case, saying, “Physicians like Dr. Orusa who violate their oath and engage in such reckless conduct and contribute to the opioid epidemic facing this nation can expect to bear the full force and effect of the federal justice system.”
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General, the IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Clarksville Police Department, and the 19th Judicial District Drug Task Force.
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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