Borderline Shooting: Dirty O.C. Doctor Accused Of Providing Opioids Taken By Killer
Dzung Ahn Pham was arrested for prescribing narcotics without examining patients.
Dec. 19 2018, Updated 1:49 p.m. ET
An Orange County doctor arrested for allegedly prescribing opioids and other powerful narcotics to so-called patients without performing medical exams has been linked to Borderline Bar and Grill mass shooter Ian David Long, federal officials said.
Authorities said Dzung Ahn Pham, 57, of Tustin, California, was allegedly selling prescriptions to drug addicts, some who then sold the drugs on the black market.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Pham sent a text message to one of his patients and expressed concern after hearing about the mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, where 28-year old Marine Corps veteran Ian David Long killed 12 people before turning the gun on himself.
In a text from November 9, 2018, Pham wrote:
"One of my patient just told me that the Thousand Oaks shooter, Ian David Long, had my prescription bottles that belong to someone (sic) else," Pham wrote in the text. "I never saw Mr. Long before, so I don't know the implication of this information."
Pham allegedly issued oxycodone prescriptions and other dugs from his medical office, Irvine Village Urgent Care, and charged $100 to $150 per office visit to "patients" he allegedly never examined, federal investigators said.
Between 2013 and September 2018, Pham allegedly deposited over $5 million, mostly in cash, into bank accounts controlled by him and his wife.
According to documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, 64 percent of the prescriptions that Phan signed were for patients in their 30s and 40s, which was a "red flag for abuse/diversion," authorities said. About 85 percent of the opioids prescribed were either oxycodone or hydrocodone.
"This case clearly and tragically illustrates the dangers of drug dealers armed with prescription pads," said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. "This doctor is accused of flooding Southern California with huge quantities of opioids and other dangerous narcotics by writing prescriptions for drugs he knew would be diverted to the street. Prosecutors in my office, working with their law enforcement partners, will tirelessly pursue everyone involved in the trafficking of opioids as part of our persistent and ongoing efforts to stop the trail of misery that follows these dangerous drugs."
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