4 Montgomery Co. doctors arrested for illegally prescribing controlled substances, reportedly responsible for 8 overdoses
CONROE, Texas - Four doctors in Montgomery County have been arrested and charged for illegally prescribing controlled substances to patients, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Investigators say Dr. Miguel Flores, Dr. Fadi Ghanem, Dr. Hissamaddin, and Dr. Emad Bishai were prescribing controlled substances to patients without a valid purpose.
In October 2018, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office reportedly received federal grant funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance in order to investigate and prosecute prescription drug diversion in the country. The DA's Office then began to gather data on overdose deaths, overdose hospitalizations and other reports from the Department of Public Safety in order to "identify concerning medical practices."
The four doctors were identified and on June 26, search warrants were issued at their offices, and records were seized.
Dr. Miguel Flores was charged with one count of committing unprofessional or dishonorable conduct by prescribing to a person who Dr. Flores knew or should have known was an abuser of controlled substances and one count for prescribing without a valid medical purpose. Flores' office is located in Conroe, Texas. The counts are related to one overdose death.
Dr. Fadi Ghanem was charged with three counts of committing unprofessional or dishonorable conduct by prescribing to a person who Dr. Fadi Ghanem knew or should have known was an abuser of controlled substances and three counts of prescribing without a valid medical purpose. His office is in The Woodlands, Texas. The counts are related to three overdose deaths.
Dr. Hussamaddin Al-Khadour was charged with one count of operating a pain management clinic without being properly registered and one count for writing a false or fictitious prescription. His office is located in Shenandoah, Texas.
Dr. Emad Bishai was charged with four counts of committing unprofessional or dishonorable conduct by prescribing to a person who Dr. Bishai knew or should have known was an abuser of controlled substances and four counts of prescribing without a valid medical purpose. His office is located in The Woodlands, Texas. These counts are related to four overdose deaths. Dr. Bishai has also been charged with improperly delegating professional medical responsibility that stems from his practice of pre-signing Schedule II prescription forms.
Dr. Bishai’s office building was also seized by the DA's office in a civil asset forfeiture suit for being used in the commission of or acquired with proceeds from engaging in organized criminal activity, various violations of the Texas Health and Safety Code and insurance fraud.
“The excessive prescribing of highly addictive controlled substances has been major fuel added to the fire of the opioid epidemic our nation faces. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office is committed to doing whatever it can to address this deadly, criminal conduct,” Assistant District Attorney Tamara Holland says.
The DA's office says they are looking for any information related to these particular doctors or other doctors who may be involved in similar practices.