Dublin Doctor Charged With Unnecessarily Prescribing Opioids

DUBLIN, CA — A physician practicing in Dublin and Tracy has been accused of 14 counts related to prescribing opioids to patients who didn't need them, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California. Prosecutors allege that Edmund Kemprud unnecessarily prescribed addictive and commonly abused drugs such as hydrocodone, alprazolam and oxycodone 14 times between September 2018 and March 2019.

Kemprund was arrested Monday and pleaded not guilty. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Kemprud graduated in 1973 from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, according to the Medical Board of California website. He does not have any disciplinary actions on his record and his license was current as of Tuesday afternoon.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a press release that the diversion of prescription drugs to people who abuse them has created a public health crisis across the country.

“Doctors who violate their position of trust must be held accountable,” Becerra said.

Kemprund's arrest was the result of an investigation by the state Department of Justice, Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse Drug Diversion Team, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Inspector General's Office for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.