A Northern Virginia doctor pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges related to illegally prescribing opioids and attempting to cover up her trail.
Federal prosecutors said Dr. Felicia Lyn Donald, 65, of Great Falls, who practiced at For Women OB/GYN Associates and NOVA Addiction Center, ran her prescription “pill mill” scheme for at least four years, from April 2016 to just this past April.
She was accused of signing off on Schedule II opioids worth over $1.2 million on the street, and gave her illegal approval for more than 250,000 mg of oxycodone, prosecutors said. She also prescribed other drugs, such as Xanax, and even gave prescriptions to some employees as part of their work compensation instead of paychecks.
Donald tried to conceal her behavior by falsifying medical records to make it look like her illegal recipients were patients who had examinations and medical care, prosecutors said, and she engaged in Medicaid fraud.
“It is critical that those with the power to prescribe controlled substances be held accountable for their actions, and that putting the health and safety of the American public at risk is a federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia G. Zachary Terwilliger in a news release Monday. “This is especially true at this very moment when we are relying on medical professionals to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Donald, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges, could face up to 30 years in federal prison at sentencing on Aug. 21.
