Alex Kafi, MD, a West Bloomfield, Mich.-based physician was sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to illegally distributing oxycodone pills, according to the Department of Justice.
Four things to know:
1. Dr. Kafi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in August 2018 and was sentenced on June 19. The DOJ reported he accepted cash in exchange for writing medically unnecessary prescriptions for opioid pills.
2. During his time as a licensed physician, Dr. Kafi distributed more than 23,000 pills of oxycodone unlawfully. He wrote many of the prescription without meeting or communicating with the patient.
3. In his guilty plea, Dr. Kafi said patient recruiters gave him a list of "patients" who needed prescriptions and paid him $300 per prescription. After pleading guilty, he forfeited $617,208, which represented his proceeds from the scheme.
4. Dr. Kafi received more jail time than his co-defendant, Danielle Smith, who was sentenced to 32 months in prison in February.