Bethesda Doctor Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illicit Prescription Practices

A Bethesda-based physician has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for unlawfully distributing controlled substances, including Xanax, Adderall, and Buprenorphine, to patients between January 2019 and June 2022. U.S. District Court Judge Theodore D. Chuang handed down the sentence, which also includes two years of supervised release, with the first nine months to be served under home detention. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland, Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Marc R. Yamada of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to court documents, Anissa Maroof, 48, of Potomac, Maryland, a physician board-certified in addiction psychiatry, admitted to operating her medical practice in Bethesda, Maryland, outside the bounds of legitimate medical practice. Maroof knowingly distributed and dispensed controlled substances with the knowledge that these actions were not for a legitimate medical purpose. Her practice, which was registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration, allowed her to prescribe controlled medications.

The unlawful distribution extended to patients from West Virginia, who received prescriptions for controlled substances such as Alprazolam (Xanax), Amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall), and Buprenorphine. Court findings indicate that Maroof failed to adequately warn patients about the significant risks associated with combining these powerful medications. Furthermore, she continued to prescribe these substances even when patients indicated they were selling their surplus medications through illicit channels.

In several instances, Maroof was found to have prescribed controlled substances without providing necessary therapeutic services to patients. There were documented occasions where she phoned in prescriptions to pharmacies without first examining the patient. Instead, she instructed patients to leave cash payments under her office door in exchange for the prescriptions. Maroof also provided guidance to patients on how to distribute their prescription fulfillment across multiple pharmacies, potentially to avoid detection. The U.S. Attorney’s Office commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and the Montgomery County Police Department in this case, acknowledging Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Sarma and Elizabeth Wright for their prosecution of the federal charges.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland

---