Federal authorities say a single nurse practitioner prescribed 260,000 pills containing controlled substances to patients in more than 20 states over a four-year period, operating largely out of hotel rooms and coordinating with clients over an encrypted messaging app.
The case ended without a criminal charge. Joan Rubinger, a pain specialist whose website advertises a client list heavy with professional athletes, agreed in March to pay $1.4 million to settle a Justice Department civil complaint. She did not admit wrongdoing and agreed never again to prescribe controlled substances. The Drug Enforcement Administration revoked her prescribing registration in July, citing what an administrative law judge described as egregious conduct.
