Physician Sentenced For Drug Fraud Charge

CONCORD, NH – Douglas McCullom, 52, of East Wakefield, was sentenced in United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire to serve three years of probation as a result of his conviction for fraudulently obtaining controlled substances, announced United States Attorney John P. Kacavas.

            McCullom is a doctor of osteopathic medicine who is licensed to practice medicine in Maine.  He worked as a physician for the Department of Veterans Affairs in New Hampshire.  In 2010, McCullom wrote approximately 17 prescriptions for oxycodone and OxyContin that were not documented in the medical records of one of his patients.  Some of these prescriptions were written for the patient after McCullom was placed on worker’s compensation leave.  The patient has stated that he later provided some of these pills to McCullom.

            McCullom had a registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that allowed him to write prescriptions for controlled substances.  As part of his plea agreement, McCullom has agreed to surrender his DEA registration and never to seek another DEA registration.  He also must advise the licensing authorities in Maine about his conviction.

In November of 2012, McCullom entered into a separate civil settlement agreement to resolve allegations that he violated federal regulations when he issued prescriptions that were not for a legitimate medical purpose and were outside the scope of his DEA registration.  While not admitting any wrongdoing, McCullom paid $25,000 to resolve his potential civil liability.

The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The Office of Inspector General of the Office of Personnel Management also provided assistance in this investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Farley.