Venkat Aachi, Unlawful Distribution of Hydrocodone, California 2019
South Bay Doctor Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Health Care Fraud
San Jose, California - A South Bay doctor has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for health care fraud and for distributing hydrocodone outside the scope of his professional practice and without a legitimate medical need.
On March 25, 2019, Dr. Venkat Aachi, 52, of Saratoga, pleaded guilty to the charges. According to the plea agreement, Aachi was a licensed physician who operated a pain clinic in San Jose and maintained a DEA registration number authorizing him to prescribe controlled substances.
Aachi admitted that from September 18, 2017, through July 2, 2018, he wrote hydrocodone-acetaminophen prescriptions that were outside the scope of his professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
“Dr. Venkat Aachi went from doctor to drug dealer when he prescribed highly addictive painkillers without a physical examination or legitimate medical need,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen. “Regardless of title or degree, no one is above the law. DEA will hold medical practitioners accountable if they operate outside the scope of their professional practice, putting patients and lives others at risk.”
“Physicians who unlawfully prescribe opioids are directly contributing to the opioid crisis,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. “Venkat Aachi violated his oath and the trust of our community by illicitly pushing controlled substances to persons without need. The FBI, along with our local, state and federal partners, will continue to investigate and pursue medical professionals who violate the public's trust and defraud our healthcare system.”
The plea agreement describes transactions in which Aachi improperly distributed hydrocodone. For example, in November of 2017, he wrote a prescription enabling a patient to receive 90 hydrocodone-acetaminophen pills. Aachi did not conduct a physical examination of the patient nor discuss the patient’s pain or response to prior medication. Aachi acknowledged that he knew the prescriptions were not for a legitimate medical purpose and that he did not write the prescriptions in the usual course of his professional practice.
Aachi also admitted that on July 2, 2018, he falsely submitted to an insurance company a false and fraudulent claim for payment for healthcare benefits, items, and services. Aachi admitted he acted with the intend to defraud the insurance company.
In filings submitted by the government in connection with Aachi’s sentencing, the government wrote that over the course of just one year, Aachi wrote 5,992 prescriptions for controlled substances, the majority of which were for narcotics.
Aachi is currently serving a 24-month prison sentence after being sentenced by the Honorable Edward J. Davila, U.S. District Judge.
**Mandatory Facts:**
- Defendant: Venkat Aachi
- Criminal Charges: Unlawful distribution of hydrocodone and health care fraud
- City and State: San Jose, California
- Exact Date: March 25, 2019 (plea agreement)
- Sentence: 24 months in prison
- No dollar amounts mentioned in the source
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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