A federal court ordered a Tampa-area pain management clinic to close and entered judgments against the clinic’s owners and its former physician to restrict their ability to prescribe or distribute opioids in a case alleging violations of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the Justice Department announced today.
In a complaint filed in October 2022, the United States alleged that Dr. Vivian Herrero, Christopher Ferguson, and Patricia Ferguson violated the CSA by issuing prescriptions for controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose. The complaint also alleged that the Fergusons used Phoenix Medical Management Care Centers Inc., a Tarpon Springs, Florida pain clinic, to unlawfully distribute controlled substances through the issuance of the illegitimate prescriptions. The complaint further alleged that two Phoenix patients died soon after receiving opioid prescriptions issued by Dr. Herrero, and that drug toxicity played a role in those deaths.
“Medical professionals who facilitate the unlawful use of opioids ignore their obligations under the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to stop the illegal prescribing, dispensing and distribution of potentially dangerous prescription drugs.”
“Civil enforcement under the Controlled Substances Act continues to be a top priority for our district,” said U.S....
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