Philadelphia Doctor Admits To Illegal Opioid Distribution

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia doctor recently pleaded guilty to illegally distributing opioid drugs in federal court, according to authorities.

Richard Ira Mintz, D.O., 69, of Dresher, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to eight counts of distributing controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski and United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced.

From about July 2016 through July 2018, Mintz worked at a medical practice in Philadelphia where he sold fraudulent and medically unnecessary oxycodone prescriptions, authorities said.

Mintz wrote the prescriptions in the names of three individuals whom he had never met or examined, according to federal authorities.

“Richard Ira Mintz violated both his professional duty and the law by selling prescriptions for addictive opioids for individuals he never examined who had no medical need for the drugs," Benczkowski said. "Halting the deadly scourge of opioids requires aggressively pursuing corrupt medical professionals who contribute to the opioid epidemic — and that is precisely why we created this regional Strike Force. I want to commend our prosecutors and all of our Strike Force partners for their ongoing work on this vital law enforcement priority."

“Instead of adhering to his oath to ‘do no harm,’ this doctor chose to use his prescription pad to do just the opposite: with every stroke of the pen, he pushed dangerous opioids onto the streets and turned an illegal profit. McSwain said.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals’ Service. Trial Attorney Adam Yoffie of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.