Dr. Brian James August, Distributing Controlled Substances and Health Care Fraud, Texas 2018
EL PASO, Texas - A 60-year-old El Paso doctor has been arrested and charged with distributing controlled substances that resulted in the overdose deaths of five individuals.
Dr. Brian James August, who practiced Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, also known as 'physiatry,' allegedly prescribed and dispensed controlled substances, including methadone, fentanyl, hydromorphone, morphine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone, outside the usual course of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
The indictment alleges that between December 2012 and March 2018, Dr. August's actions resulted in the deaths of five victims.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas announced that Dr. August was arrested and faces 15 counts of federal charges, including five counts of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death or serious bodily injury, five counts of distribution of a controlled substance, and five counts of health care fraud resulting in death.
Upon conviction, Dr. August faces 20 years to life in federal prison for the drug charges resulting in death, up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the remaining drug charges, and up to life in federal prison for each of the health care fraud charges.
Dr. August remains in federal custody and is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne T. Berton in El Paso at 2 p.m. tomorrow.
An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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