The United States has filed a civil complaint against Stockton-based nurse practitioner Joan Rubinger, accusing her of operating a nationwide scheme to sell illegal opioid prescriptions in exchange for cash, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California, announced today. The complaint seeks to bar Rubinger from prescribing controlled substances and impose civil penalties for her alleged actions.
From 2019 to 2024, Rubinger is accused of issuing more than 900 illegal prescriptions for highly addictive drugs, including Oxycodone, Xanax, and Percocet, without proper medical oversight. The prescriptions were allegedly written for customers across the country in non-medical settings like hotel rooms, where Rubinger charged cash in exchange for the prescriptions.
In addition, Rubinger is said to have provided a price list for controlled substances, allowing customers to select drugs without medical justification. Payments were reportedly made through encrypted messaging apps to evade detection, with conversations automatically deleted to further conceal the scheme.
Several cases of misuse have been highlighted in the complaint. One example includes a customer who received nearly 13,000 Percocet pills over a span of four years. Another involved a customer whose associate was arrested with illicit substances, prescription drugs, and over $200,000 in cash. Rubinger is also accused of providing customers with written guidelines on how to avoid detection by law enforcement, such as advising upfront payments and strategies to bypass suspicions at pharmacies.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is now seeking civil penalties against Rubinger and a permanent injunction to prevent her from prescribing controlled substances. Notably, her DEA registration was suspended in June 2024, according to the department.
This case underscores the ongoing fight against the illegal distribution of opioids, a crisis that continues to plague communities across the country.
