Doctor Pays $50,000 to Settle Civil Claims He Prescribed Without DEA Registration or OBN License

OKLAHOMA CITY – Ernesto Fuentes, M.D., has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle civil penalty claims stemming from allegations that he violated the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 and its regulations, announced United States Attorney Timothy J. Downing.

Dr. Fuentes practiced medicine as a hospitalist in the Chickasaw Nation Medical Clinic in Ada, Oklahoma.  The United States alleges that from January 1, 2014, through June 11, 2019, he issued prescriptions for Schedule II-IV controlled substances without a valid certificate of registration from the Drug Enforcement Administration and without a controlled substance license from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.  Some of the prescriptions issued by Dr. Fuentes were filled at pharmacies in Oklahoma City.

To resolve these allegations, Dr. Fuentes has agreed to pay $50,000 to the United States.

In reaching this settlement, Dr. Fuentes did not admit liability, and the government did not make any concessions about the legitimacy of the claims.  The agreement allows the parties to avoid the delay, expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty involved in litigating the case.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda R. Johnson and Ronald R. Gallegos prosecuted the case.