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Dublin Man Pleads Guilty to Prescribing Pain Medication Without a License

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Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney's Office
Western District of Virginia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Ehikioya Osemobor Prescribed Schedule II Drugs After Surrendering Medical License

ROANOKE, Va. – A Dublin, Virginia man, who continued to prescribe pain medication even after he was informed he lacked the necessary license to do so, pled guilty recently to federal charges.

Ehikioya Osemobor, 47, waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty last week to a one count Information charging him with using an expired Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Number.

According to court documents, the Virginia Board of Medicine issued Osemobor a license to practice medicine and surgery in error in 2009. At the time of his application for licensure, Osemobor had not yet met all the necessary requirements of the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

The error was discovered in 2019.

When the error was discovered, Osemobor was practicing medicine at River Valley Healthcare Associates in Dublin, Virginia. He was registered with the DEA as a practitioner with authority to dispense and distribute controlled substances. His DEA registration was issued on the premise that Osemobor had a valid license to practice medicine.

The Virginia Board of Medicine notified Osemobor of the error and required him to provide evidence that he had fulfilled the necessary requirements under the United States Medical Licensing Examination. In February 2020, Osemobor notified the Board of Medicine that he was voluntarily surrendering his license to practice medicine. A consent order to that effect was entered on April 6, 2020.

Osemobor continued to issue patients prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances under his DEA registration number between April 6, 2020, and April 15, 2020. Osemobor has admitted that he knew he was not permitted to write prescriptions after voluntarily surrendering his license.

U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Washington Division,  and  George Scavdis, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metropolitan Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and The Food and Drug Administration - Office of Inspector General, investigated the case, with assistance from the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Department of Health Professions.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin B. Johnson and Keith Parella are prosecuting the case.

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