Dr. Juan Kurdi, M.D., a cardiologist based in Lubbock, Texas, has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act by prescribing opioids and other controlled drugs outside accepted medical practice and without legitimate medical purpose. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.
Dr. Kurdi co-owned and operated a group medical practice in Lubbock. According to government settlement documents, Dr. Kurdi, who previously held DEA registration as a practitioner, issued prescriptions for substances such as Oxycodone, Alprazolam, Tramadol, Dextroamp-Amphetamine, and Vyvanse in the names of family members and friends but often intended them for his own use. These prescriptions were issued without establishing proper physician-patient relationships or conducting physical examinations and lacked appropriate medical documentation. Prescriptions were filled at local pharmacies even though some named recipients lived far from Lubbock; Dr. Kurdi would often collect the medications himself.
Dr. Kurdi admitted in settlement documents that he wrote certain prescriptions in the names of family members and friends to obtain controlled substances like Oxycodone for personal use. Other conduct described in the agreement remains alleged and is not an admission of liability by Dr. Kurdi.
“Prescribing opioids and other dangerous narcotics outside the usual course of professional practice betrays the trust placed in physicians by society and threatens public safety,” said Nancy E. Larson, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. “This settlement demonstrates our office’s commitment to holding doctors accountable for violating their obligations to properly prescribe these powerful drugs.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker added: “This case should serve as a strong warning to all physicians who knowingly prescribe controlled substances without a legitimate medical need or a proper doctor-patient relationship. The DEA will continue to aggressively target and hold accountable physicians who, like Dr. Kurdi, contribute to the poisoning crisis in our communities by improperly distributing these controlled substances.”
In addition to this civil settlement, Dr. Kurdi voluntarily surrendered his DEA registration.
The investigation was led by the DEA’s Fort Worth Diversion Squad with Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Robbins overseeing the matter along with Civil Chief Kenneth Coffin and Deputy Civil Chief Brian Stoltz from the Northern District of Texas.
