Lexington, N.C. physician James Randall Long, 56, pleaded guilty today to the unlawful distribution of fentanyl, admitting in federal court that he abused his medical license to feed a romantic partner’s opioid addiction. Long appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer in Charlotte and confessed to prescribing the powerful synthetic opioid outside the scope of professional practice, knowing full well the woman was misusing it.
According to court documents, Long began a relationship with the woman in 2014 and, until July 2015, repeatedly wrote fentanyl prescriptions for her under false pretenses. He admitted he knew she was not using the drug for legitimate medical purposes but to escalate her addiction. Worse, Long authorized prescriptions in the names of individuals who were neither his patients nor aware their identities were being used—some of whom never consented to or even knew about the prescriptions filled in their names.
U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose slammed Long’s actions as a betrayal of public trust. “Dr. Long admitted he abused the public trust placed in him as a physician authorized to dispense controlled substances,” Rose said. “He misused his medical license to prescribe a potentially lethal drug to a woman he knew had a substance abuse problem.” She emphasized that her office is aggressively targeting all sources of opioid supply, “from the street corner to a doctor’s office,” amid a national crisis where overdose deaths continue to climb.
Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, is up to 100 times more potent than morphine and is frequently tied to fatal overdoses. While it is legally prescribed for severe pain, its euphoric effects make it a prime target for abuse—often as a heroin substitute. Long’s conduct, prosecutors say, turned a medical tool into a weapon of addiction. The DEA notes that illicit distribution by licensed professionals exacerbates the opioid epidemic while eroding faith in the healthcare system.
The investigation was spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta Field Division, which oversees operations in Charlotte, with critical support from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Mint Hill Police Department, and Gastonia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Miller is prosecuting the case, vowing to hold medical professionals accountable when they cross the line into criminal conduct.
Long was released on bond following the plea hearing. He faces a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine for distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl by an authorized registrant outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. Sentencing is scheduled for a later date. The case stands as a stark reminder that the opioid epidemic isn’t just fueled by street dealers—it’s also fed in exam rooms by doctors who choose profit and personal desire over patient care.
Related Federal Cases
- Portsmouth Heroin Ring: 5 Guilty in Fentanyl Trafficking · North Carolina
- Wilmington Heroin & Fentanyl Kingpin Gets 12 Years · North Carolina
- Uriel Adolfo Rayo-Dominguez, Jennifer Castillo Guilty in Fentanyl Case · Mississippi
- Carlito Rios, Jordan Jones Sentenced in Elmira Fentanyl Ring · North Carolina
- Charlotte Doctor, Wife Guilty in Opioid Trafficking Scheme · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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