Poor Recordkeeping Leads to $90K Penalty for Veterinarian: Federal Prosecutors

ATLANTA, GA — A Marietta veterinarian will pay a $90,0000 civil penalty to resolve allegations that he violated recordkeeping requirements for controlled substances, according to federal prosecutors.

Michael Paul Good, the owner of Town & Country Veterinary Clinic, did not admit to any criminal violations of the Controlled Substances Act, but agreed to pay the settlement, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. "The claims settled are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability," the statement said.

Prosecutors did not state which controlled substances were involved in the case, but they alleged that Good, among other violations, failed to keep accurate records or report thefts or losses at Town & Country Veterinary Clinic, as required by federal law.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with assistance from the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency and the Georgia Veterinary Board.

Daniel Salter, the lead agent for the DEA's Atlanta Field Division, alleged that Good "spun a web of deception" in failing to maintain accurate records.

"Such careless behavior allows for substances to be diverted and sold on the black market with no true measure of accountability," Salter said in the statement. Civil penalties are one step that authorities "can take to discourage other negligent medical entities from engaging in such behavior.”