East County Doctor Accused of Prescribing Painkillers In Exchange for Sex

SAN DIEGO, CA — An East County doctor was arrested and charged Wednesday morning on suspicion of distributing oxycodone and other highly addictive drugs without any legitimate medical purpose in exchange for sex acts, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego.

Dr. Naga Raja Thota, 62, a pain specialist with an office on Navajo Road in El Cajon who was once featured in the Los Angeles Times, was taken into custody by San Diego Drug Enforcement Administration agents at his practice. He made his first appearance in San Diego federal court at 2 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernie Skomal. The judge ordered Thota released from custody as long as he posts a $100,000 property bond by Sept. 9.

According to prosecutors, at least two young women received prescriptions for opioids without a legitimate medical purpose on numerous occasions in exchange for sex acts. Prosecutors also allege a pattern in which sexually-explicit texts are exchanged by the anesthesiologist and the women, followed by prescriptions written for them by Thota, a Lake Murray-area resident.

According to arrest documents, one victim said she met Thota when she was hospitalized for withdrawal symptoms for vicodin and xanax. Thota allegedly agreed to treat her but documented that his treatment was for pain even though this victim did not suffer from any medical condition that caused chronic or ongoing pain. This victim also stated that Thota kept increasing the dosage, prosecutors said.

The victim, who was 20 years old when she met Thota, told investigators she felt that if she did not submit to sexual acts with Thota he would not have provided her with additional opioid prescriptions. The defendant also bought a laptop computer and made a car payment for the woman, Assistant U.S. Attorney Orlando Gutierrez told the judge.

Prosecutors say after she was exposed to greater dosage levels of opioids by Thota, the young woman started using an even stronger opioid – heroin.

“Prescription drug abuse and overdoses have reached alarming levels,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. “We are going after doctors who abuse their power to prescribe and exploit the desperation of addicts for their own gratification.”

In a 2012 Los Angeles Times article about treating patients with chronic pain titled, "Helped or Hooked?" Thota told the newspaper, "Somebody has to take care of these people ... And I am the chosen one."

Thota has been involved in two medical malpractice cases and one professional negligence case in the San Diego area, NBC 7 reported.

Anyone with information regarding other victims of Dr. Thota was urged to contact the DEA at 858-616-4100 and ask for the diversion duty agent.

“Doctors who exploit patients are the worst kind of predators,” said DEA San Diego Special Agent in Charge William Sherman. “DEA recognizes the trust the citizens of San Diego place in their doctors. We will continue to ensure that physicians who are abusing that trust by bartering sex for prescriptions will be arrested and prosecuted.”

Thota's defense attorney, Robert Schlein, said the doctor "cares about people" and "is not a predator," as authorities allege.

The U.S. Attorney's Office charged Thota on suspicion of dispensing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, $1 million in fines and a life-term of supervised release.

On Wednesday, the Judge Skomal imposed limits on Thota's ability to prescribe medication, according to Kelly Thornton, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego,

"The doctor’s partner in his medical practice must approve all prescriptions for Schedule 2 drugs written by Dr. Thota to female patients," Thornton said.

Further, Thornton said, Thota is not allowed to contact any of the people mentioned in the criminal complaint against him.

Thota's next court hearing is set for Sept. 13.

— City News Service contributed to this report.

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