Health & Fitness

Rancho Palos Verdes Doctor Convicted in Prescription Drug Case

Dr. Richard Seongjun Kim was convicted of 17 felony counts of unlawfully prescribing controlled substances without a legitimate medical need

LOS ANGELES, CA -- A Rancho Palos Verdes doctor was convicted Tuesday of illegally prescribing medications to undercover operatives working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Jurors deliberated about two hours before finding Dr. Richard Seongjun Kim, 44, guilty of 17 felony counts of unlawfully prescribing controlled substances without a legitimate medical need.

Kim was ordered into custody immediately after the jury's verdict.

Find out what's happening in Palos Verdesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

He is facing up to 13 years and four months behind bars, with sentencing set for Sept. 30, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Deputy District Attorney Emily Street said Kim would ask the operatives to bring in prior medical charts and X-rays to justify the prescriptions. In one instance, an operative brought in an X-ray of a dog to his clinic on Western Avenue.

Find out what's happening in Palos Verdesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Over a three-month period in 2014, the general practitioner wrote the operatives prescriptions for the pain medication Norco, anti-anxiety medication Xanax, muscle relaxant Soma and central nervous system stimulant Adderall without conducting a physical exam, taking any vital signs or completing any medical charts , according to prosecutors.

The case against Kim was filed last year.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock