SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — A Slidell doctor has been indicted after he reportedly wrote illegitimate prescriptions that resulted in health care fraud.
The Department of Justice reports that on Thursday, August 26, a federal grand jury in New Orleans returned an indictment on 55-year-old Dr. Adrian Talbot of Slidell.
Talbot is accused of distributing more than 1,200,000 doses of Schedule II controlled substances beyond the realm of professional practice and without a legitimate diagnosis.
According to court documents, Talbot owned and operated a medical clinic where cash payments were accepted from individuals seeking Schedule II prescriptions including morphine and oxycodone.
In 2015, Talbot took a full-time job in Pineville, about 3 1/2 hours from Slidell. While he wasn’t present at the Slidell clinic, he reportedly pre-signed prescriptions to be distributed to visitors without them being examined. In 2016, Talbot allegedly hired another practitioner who also pre-signed prescriptions to be distributed in Slidell.
Because these individuals were filling the prescriptions under their insurance, Talbot faces charges of defrauding insurance companies and health care benefit programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana of more than $5.1 million, given the prescriptions were filled using insurance.
Talbot full set of charges consist of one count each of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense
controlled substances, maintaining drug-involved premises, and conspiracy to commit health
care fraud, as well as four counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled
substances.
His initial court appearance was scheduled for Friday, September 10. However, WGNO has not yet received word of the hearing.
If convicted, Talbot could face a maximum pental of 10 years in prison for conspiring to commit health care fraud, as well as 20 years each for all other counts.
The Department of Justice says a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.