Baltimore, Maryland – In a major crackdown on opioid abuse, a federal consent decree has permanently banned a Baltimore-based physician assistant from prescribing opioids and other controlled substances, resolving civil allegations that she violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has approved the consent decree which permanently enjoins Elizabeth J. Allen, a Baltimore-based physician assistant, from prescribing opioids and other controlled substances. This decision was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; and Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration – Washington Field Division.
“Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are subject to the Controlled Substances Act and cannot overprescribe opioids and hide behind their affiliations with physicians in an attempt to shield themselves from criminal and civil liability,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “The Court’s approval of this consent decree should remind all medical practitioners that the U.S. Attorney’s Office intends to use all the tools at its disposal—both criminal and civil—to combat the opioid epidemic which continues to plague our State. We will hold responsible all medical professionals who contribute to Maryland’s opioid epidemic by overprescribing opioids, regardless of their title or the letters that follow their name.”
The government alleged that from 2014 to 2019, Allen issued hundreds of prescriptions that had no legitimate medical purpose and fell outside the usual course of professional medical practice. More specifically, the government’s complaint alleged that Allen repeatedly prescribed dangerous and potentially lethal combinations of opioids and benzodiazepines. The complaint also alleged that Allen continued to prescribe patients opioids even after some tested positive for illicit or unprescribed substances in urine toxicology screens. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally recommends that primary care clinicians avoid daily dosages of opioids over 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME), the government alleged that Allen wrote prescriptions that could cause some patients to exceed 700 MME daily. The government alleged that prescriptions written by Allen were a contributing factor in the death of at least one Marylander. Allen denied the government’s allegations.
The government alleged that Allen wrote hundreds of prescriptions that had no legitimate medical purpose and fell outside the usual course of professional medical practice. The government’s complaint alleged that Allen repeatedly prescribed dangerous and potentially lethal combinations of opioids and benzodiazepines. The complaint also alleged that Allen continued to prescribe patients opioids even after some tested positive for illicit or unprescribed substances in urine toxicology screens.
Under the consent decree, Allen agrees to never apply for or seek the reinstatement of her DEA registration—which is required for a medical professional to prescribe controlled substances, and which lapsed in 2020. U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton commended the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control, Washington Division, Baltimore District Office for its work in the investigation. U.S. Attorney Barron and Acting Assistant Attorney General Boynton also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Alan C. Lazerow and Trial Attorneys Donald Lorenzen and Thomas S. Rosso of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, who handled the case.
Defendant: Elizabeth J. Allen, a Baltimore-based physician assistant.
Criminal Charges: Violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
City and State: Baltimore, Maryland.
Exact Date: The government alleged that from 2014 to 2019, Allen issued hundreds of prescriptions that had no legitimate medical purpose and fell outside the usual course of professional medical practice.
Sentence or Outcome: Permanent injunction, permanently banning Allen from prescribing opioids and other controlled substances.
Dollar Amounts: None specified.
Related Federal Cases
- Lamar Vinson Kaintuck, Heroin Distribution, Maryland 2015 · Ohio
- Cardinal Health Inc, Opioid Distribution Negligence, FL 2023 · New York
- Daniel Webster Ray Jr, Oxycodone Distribution Conspiracy, Maryland · Virginia
- Robert Frazier Jr, Fentanyl Trafficking, Maryland 2024 · Maryland
- Maryland Man McCown Embroiled in 1980s Drug Trafficking Ring · Maryland
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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