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Press Release

Colorado Doctor Arrested And Charged With Selling Oxycodone Prescriptions For Cash

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Colorado
Today’s Arrest Part of National Health Care Fraud Takedown Charging 76 Doctors in 84 Opioid Cases Nationwide

DENVER – John Van Wu, age 48, of Golden, was arrested today pursuant to a warrant issued in connection with an indictment charging him with violations of the Controlled Substances Act, mail fraud, and falsification of records, announced U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge William T. McDermott, and Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration Regional Director James Purcell.

As described in the indictment, the defendant operated a medical clinic at locations in Lakewood and Denver between January 2011 and March 2015.  During that time period the defendant devised a scheme in which he billed employee benefit programs and insurers for services that were never actually rendered and not medically necessary.  For example, the defendant billed insurance programs for expensive, time-consuming office visits when his patients had relatively routine ailments.  He also billed those programs for injections that he did not actually perform.  The defendant also claimed to have provided office visits to patients who were outside of the country on the day the visits purportedly took place.

The indictment also alleges that the defendant sold oxycodone prescriptions for cash when presented with the driver’s license of others to whom he could issue the prescription.  He then created fake medical files containing false information about the services purportedly provided to those patients.

Today’s arrest is part of the National Health Care Fraud Takedown announced by the Department of Justice.  The defendant is one of seventy-six doctors charged in opioid cases prosecuted around the country.  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/national-health-care-fraud-takedown-results-charges-against-601-individuals-responsible-over.  This case was unsealed this morning after the defendant’s arrest.

The case was jointly investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration.  The defendant is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bryan D. Fields.

The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Updated June 28, 2018

Topics
Opioids
Prescription Drugs
Press Release Number: CASE NUMBER: 18-cr-293-RBJ