A Fairfax, Virginia, doctor is facing the possibility of two decades in prison after pleading guilty to illegally distributing prescription drugs.
Gurpreet Bajwa, 49, was accused of writing 15,000 prescriptions for controlled substances to more than 1,000 patients in a 21-month period.
Prosecutors said he gave out so many prescriptions for controlled substances that some pharmacies would no longer fill prescriptions from him.
Bajwa pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally giving prescriptions to six patients, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Virginia said.
Prosecutors said one of those patients got Xanax and oxycodone despite being addicted to heroin, and that the patient later died of an overdose.
Beginning in summer 2018, two undercover officers posed as patients and made appointments to see Bajwa. He prescribed them a 30-day supply of Adderall, and when they came back before the 30 days, he prescribed them another supply.
One of the officers said that she was a fitness model and needed Adderall for her workouts. He also agreed to prescribe her extra pills that she could give to a friend.
Bajwa had temporarily lost his medical license in 2012 over his prescription practices.
When his license was reinstated, Bajwa prescribed fewer pain medications and switched over to stimulants, benzodiazepines and sedatives.
He faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced in May.
