Feds announce opioid crackdown in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — An opioid crackdown in the Los Angeles area has led to the arrest of four doctors and several other medical professionals, including one physician whose patient died of an overdose, authorities announced Thursday.
Dr. Michael Simental of Corona and Dr. Reza Ray Ehsan of Bel-Air were arrested in unrelated cases Thursday, marking the end of the government’s so-called Operation Hypocritical Oath.
“We’re in the midst of an opioid crisis that is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year,” U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said. “Some in the medical community are stoking the fires and helping to deepen this crisis.”
Simental, who is facing charges of illegally distributing hydrocodone, practiced at a Kaiser Permanente facility in Riverside. The investigation into him began after one of his female patients died in June.
The patient’s husband told investigators that he and his wife became addicted to opioids under Simental’s care and that the doctor “would prescribe them whatever drugs they wanted,” prosecutors said, adding that they believe up to 100 of Simental’s patients got potentially unlawful prescriptions.
It was not immediately clear if Simental has an attorney.
Kaiser Permanente spokeswoman Tara Pratt said in a statement that Simental has been on leave since November and that his patients were assigned to other doctors “to ensure they continue to receive the care they need.”
“We are extremely diligent in meeting our commitment to the proper prescribing of medication,” she said. “We are also a leader in innovating ways to reduce opioid prescriptions, in particular, to help ensure they are prescribed only when safe and appropriate.”
She did not immediately respond to a question about how Simental would have been able to prescribe the large amount of opioids the government said he did.
Ehsan, who worked in a family practice, is facing charges that he unlawfully sold controlled drugs to an undercover agent posing as a patient.