A Lubbock cardiologist has agreed to pay $1.2 million to resolve allegations that he issued prescriptions for opioids and other drugs to himself.
Juan Kurdi is an “interventional cardiologist” who co-owned and co-operated a medical practice in Lubbock, the Department of Justice announced in a release on August 7. He allegedly prescribed powerful narcotics, including Oxycodone, to friends and family but intended them for his personal use.
“Prescribing opioids and other dangerous narcotics outside the usual course of professional practice betrays the trust placed in physicians by society and threatens public safety,” said Nancy Larson, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, in the release.
Officials allege he violated the Controlled Substances Act by taking advantage of his position to prescribe drugs, including Oxycodone, Alprazolam, Tramadol, Dextroamphetamine, Vyvanse, and more. In addition to the $1.2 million settlement, he agreed to relinquish his DEA registration.
In the settlement, Kurdi reportedly “acknowledges and admits” he prescribed drugs like Oxycodone “for his own personal use.”
“Kurdi issued these prescriptions without establishing a legitimate physician-patient relationship, performing physical examinations, or creating medical records that documented the rationale for the purported treatment,” the release reads.
He filled these prescriptions at Lubbock area pharmacies, even though some supposed “recipients” lived hundreds or thousands of miles away. In many cases, he would pick up the drugs himself.
Some of Kurdi’s apparent patients from 2017 expressed frustrations online with scheduling, long wait times, and overall service. “It’s all about money, procedures,” one of them wrote.
DEA-Fort Worth’s Diversion Squad and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Robbins investigated the case, overseen by Northern District of Texas Civil Chief Kenneth Coffin, and Deputy Civil Chief Brian Stoltz.
“The DEA will continue to aggressively target and hold accountable physicians who, like Dr. Kurdi, contribute to the poisoning crisis in our communities,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph Tucker in the release. “This case should serve as a strong warning to all physicians who knowingly prescribe controlled substances without a legitimate medical need or a proper doctor-patient relationship.”
A Denton doctor pleaded guilty in 2022 to illegal opioid prescriptions, as The Dallas Express reported at the time. Also, earlier this year, the DEA announced a massive multi-state bust of more than 400 kg of fentanyl.