Dr. Sheikh Ahmed, 56, of Orange, pleaded guilty to illegally prescribing oxycodone and failing to pay federal withholding taxes in a Bridgeport courtroom yesterday.
According to court documents, Ahmed, a pediatrician, operated a medical practice called East Hartford Medical Center at 580 Burnside Avenue in East Hartford. However, he allegedly prescribed controlled substances, including Oxycodone, to two individuals outside the scope of professional medical practice.
The individuals paid Ahmed $500 to issue prescriptions for 30-day supplies of Oxycodone, and Ahmed agreed to increase the patients’ dosage in the future without discussing the medical justification for the increase. He also counseled the patients about the need to increase dosages gradually to avoid scrutiny from pharmacies regarding the prescribed medications.
Ahmed failed to perform sufficient examinations to assess the patients’ pain levels prior to issuing the prescriptions. The investigation also revealed that Ahmed failed to pay over to the Internal Revenue Service $117,893 in employee withholding taxes from five of his businesses, including East Hartford Medical Center, between 2013 and 2016.
Ahmed pleaded guilty to one count of prescribing outside the scope of medical practice, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of willful failure to pay withholding taxes, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
Ahmed was arrested on a criminal complaint on November 28, 2018, and is released on a $200,000 bond pending sentencing. The investigation is being conducted by the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, in cooperation with local police departments.
Ahmed is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan and Christopher W. Schmeisser.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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