Physician Felons: How to Stay Out of Prison

Doctors behind bars — learn how to avoid common legal traps in this guide for physicians.

How to protect your medical license, your freedom, and your patients

A physician called me just hours before her sentencing for opioid diversion. She was grateful for my advice. I only wish she’d reached out sooner.

I’m writing this to help other good docs avoid prison time.

Here are 11 unforgettable cases involving my friends & family—with hard lessons learned.

Real Cases: How Good Doctors End Up in Prison

1. Lorraine – Nuclear Medicine Physician, Texas

My dear friend, Lorraine DeBlanche, M.D., was taking time off to grieve her beloved physician husband’s suicide when a colleague recommended a part-time telemedicine job. Her role seemed simple: confirm veterans’ requests for non-opioid pain cream and sign scripts. At $30 per patient, she earned $33,000 over one year before moving on.

Unbeknownst to her, the company was billing the U.S. military healthcare program $6,000 per tube. Years later, at midnight, FBI agents pounded on her front door. Barefoot, trembling in her nightgown, she was interrogated, her laptop seized, and ultimately she was indicted for fraud. Lorraine never even had a parking ticket; now she’s a felon.

Though she harmed no one (and some patients were complicit), Lorraine was found guilty of telemedicine fraud ordered to repay $33,000, fined $180,000, and spent over half a million in legal fees just to narrowly escape prison. Her career ended overnight. She’s now disabled from a stress-induced autoimmune disease and still startles when anyone knocks on her door.

2. Aaron – Anesthesiologist, West Coast

My friend had a spotless 20-year record running pain clinics for underserved complex patients. He used a blend of oral, topical, and innovative non-drug therapies—with great results.

Then came the shock: a business associate had involved him in a fraudulent pain cream kickback scheme. His license revoked, his high-risk patients left without care, Aaron was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison for insurance fraud. Now released, he hopes to get his license back and resume caring for patients.

3. Judith – Psychiatrist, Texas

In the 1980s, two men approached my mom, Judith Wible, M.D., at her Dallas office with a business proposal. She declined. They still used her Medicare number to fraudulently bill millions. Thankfully, the FBI chose not to prosecute her.

4. Matt – Internist, Ohio

When their main doctor left, Matt stepped up to help a friend working at a local detox center by performing exams and continuing Suboxone for opioid-dependent patients—assuming a physician with a DEA waiver had initiated treatment.

DEA waiver requirements for prescribing Suboxone ended in 2022. Since Matt had no waiver at the time, the U.S. government convicted him for distributing controlled substances. He narrowly avoided a 20-year prison sentence.

He worked as a cashier at Target while his case dragged on for years. Though he now has a probationary medical license, he’s barred from billing Medicare and Medicaid (the detox center defrauded Medicaid of nearly $50 million). Despite the reputation hit, he’s back in his hometown running a small private clinic.

5. Dan – Family Physician, Midwest

Near retirement, Dan took a pandemic telemedicine job reviewing charts for patients needing braces, splints, or lab tests. He never spoke to patients—just signed orders presented to him.

Paid $20 per chart, he later discovered his employer created fake physical exams and fraudulent paperwork to bill Medicare more than $4 million—all using his signature!

Dan had a clean record (no malpractice claim in 40 years) and had no intent to defraud, though may face 20 years in prison for Medicare fraud. He now volunteers at a free clinic and is spending his retirement paying off more than $250,000 in legal bills.

6. Mark – Hospitalist, Florida

Mark took a pandemic telemedicine side gig. His Medicare number was used to bill nearly $3 million in fraudulent genetic tests. When he suspected wrongdoing, he quit and refused all payment.

Despite taking no money, he was arrested, lost his license, and served six months in federal prison. Today, Mark is a restaurant manager. He earns $45,000 a year and borrows money from relatives to support his family and wife, who now has a stress-induced life-threatening cardiac illness.

7. Brenda – Nurse Practitioner, New York

For over a decade, I’ve helped health professionals leave assembly-line medicine to open their own businesses. While mentoring Brenda, I was alarmed by an aggressive compounding pharmacy pressuring her to partner with them for weight loss meds. I warned her to steer clear. Less than 24 hours later, the pharmacy was raided and shut down by federal agents. 

8. Sheila – Family Physician, California

A graduate of our business seminar, Sheila contacted me in crisis. Her Medicare number was used to bill fraudulent home health and hospice services. Though she hadn’t authorized these services, physicians are held accountable for how their credentials are misused by others. She needed urgent legal help and found an excellent attorney.

9. Randy – Internist, Louisiana

When I helped Randy Lamartiniere, M.D., launch his private clinic, we had no idea DEA agents were already posing as his patients. Doctors opening new practices are often inundated with patients abandoned by other physicians afraid to prescribe opioids. Randy tried to help these folks—but a pharmacist likely tipped off the DEA investigation. Wired undercover agents visited his clinic. At age 65, Randy was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

10. Richard – General Practitioner, Philadelphia

At age 79, my friend’s father, Richard Minicozzi, M.D., was sentenced to 7 years in prison for running a “pill mill.”

He wasn’t a criminal—just an old-school, kind-hearted doc trying to help people in an inner city plagued by poverty and addiction. As his health declined, his secretary began selling Vicodin and Xanax for cash out of his office. Richard was held responsible.

Disgraced, he died alone in prison at 81.

11. Ted – Pathologist/Addiction Medicine, Philadelphia

My father, Ted Krouse, M.D., self-prescribed, gave meds to family, and dispensed tranquilizers like Valium to anxious patients. Growing up in the 1970s (back when many doctors worked out of their homes), my basement was full of pharmaceutical stock bottles, many with controlled substances.

Always willing to help the less fortunate, my dad would likely be under DEA surveillance today—or behind bars like Randy and Richard.

What these cases reveal

Naive doctors. Physicians take an Oath to ease suffering and put patients first. The legal system operates differently—and our training makes us easy prey for exploitation by bad actors. Remember: First, do no harm to the government.

No willful criminal intent. These real stories show how easily physicians are prosecuted—often without knowing they broke the law. This can be a defense to criminal charges, even if the government disagrees.  Some doctors unfortunately may have pled guilty to crimes they did not actually commit.  This may avoid prison time, but any criminal conviction can strip doctors of their careers and have harsh collateral consequences.

Abandoned patients. When good doctors are prosecuted, patients suffer. Some die from medical neglect. Others die by suicide—like my friend Michelle Fernandez, M.D., an emergency physician who couldn’t get her meds refilled after her doctor retired. I recommended she see Randy—then he was imprisoned, so she shot herself.

Impact on medicine today

Doctors now fear:

* Treating family and friends

* Self-prescribing

* Medicating patients with legitimate pain

* Prescribing controlled substances

Some even surrender their DEA licenses or opt out of Medicare just to avoid the risk of DEA surveillance or federal fraud charges.

Six steps to stay safe and protect your medical license:

1) Don’t accept jobs outside your usual scope of practice.

2) Avoid “chart review red flags”—gigs without direct patient contact.

3) Never accept a flat fee per chart or per patient—it’s a red flag.

4) Be cautious when assigning billing rights. You are still legally responsible for what happens with your (publicly-available) billing numbers.

5) Review your Medicare billing history. Make sure it reflects your actual work.

6) Avoid aggressive compounding pharmacies or telemed startups pressuring you to work with them.

👀 Watch this Medicare fraud video for more red flags.

Check your Medicare billing data

🕵️‍♀️ Your Medicare billing data is public. Verify that your Medicare number is not being misused.

🔎 Check your billed Medicare services on the CMS website.

🧾  Search your NPI or Medicare number in the CMS Look-Up Tool.

Need Support? 

If you’re a physician in trouble—or just want to stay out of it join our confidential peer support group and meet physician survivors. 

📞 Speak to Dr. Wible urgently via this confidential contact form.

Cases published with permission, some names changed.

Pamela Wible, M.D., is a business strategist who help physicians launch private practices without running afoul of the law. She offers a suicide helpline for physicians, weekly peer support groups, and monthly physician retreats. Speak to Dr. Wible urgently here.