Philly Doc Who Illegally Sold Prescription Meds Gets Prison Time

PHILADELPHIA – A doctor practicing in Philadelphia was hit with a prison sentence after being found guilty of illegally selling commonly abused prescription drugs in exchange for cash payments, totaling more than $5 million in sales from the drugs, according to the United States Attorney's office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Alan Summers, 79, of Ambler, Pennsylvania, was sentenced Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by the Honorable Lawrence F. Stengel to two years in prison, as well as two years supervised release after he gets out of prison.

He was also ordered to pay $14,000 in restitution, $4.6 million in restitution, and a $1,700 special assessment, according to federal officials.

All together, Summers illegally sold more than $5 million worth of drugs for cash, according to officials.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of controlled substances, health care fraud, and money laundering, and was announced by United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen, Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan A. Wilson of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Special Agent-in-Charge, Maureen Dixon with Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

Summers operated a medical clinic on South Broad Street in Philadelphia, and sometimes operated under the business name "NASAPT" (National Association for Substance Abuse-Prevention & Treatment), officials said.

Summers employed numerous other doctors, including co-defendants Dr. Azad Khan and Dr. Keyhosrow Parsia, according to federal authorities.

The defendants sold prescriptions for Suboxone and Klonopin in exchange for cash payments, officials said. Suboxone is a brand name for a drug used to treat opiate addiction and Klonopin is a depressant that is clinically used to treat seizures, panic disorder, and movement disorder.

None of the defendants conducted medical examinations or mental health examinations, as required by law, to legally prescribe these drugs, federal officials said.

Summers also helped his customers get health insurance benefits for the illegally-prescribed drugs by giving false information to health insurance companies so that his customers could fill the prescriptions using their health insurance.

Many of the customers who frequented this clinic were drug addicts or drug dealers who sold the prescribed medications, federal authorities said.

"Dr. Alan Summers cared more for his financial gain, than his oath as a doctor," United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen said in the announcement of Summers' sentencing. "His actions helped fuel the opioid epidemic and the illegal distribution of prescription drugs. Today’s sentence should serve as a powerful deterrent to those medical professionals who might consider risking their careers and liberty for illegally profiting on the drug trade. Our office along with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and prosecute those individuals whose unscrupulous and illegal conduct contributes to this deadly epidemic."

"Dr. Summers was responsible for the illegal distribution of millions of dollars of prescription drugs that are commonly used to treat opioid addiction, and did so solely for profit," Jonathan A. Wilson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s(DEA) Philadelphia Field Division, said. "As part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office new law enforcement opioid task force, the DEA will aggressively continue to identify and investigate the doctors that are contributing to the opioid crisis affecting our region through their criminal acts."

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Narcotics Investigations.

It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Livermore.

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