A Louisiana doctor, Adrian Dexter Talbot, has been sentenced to over seven years in federal prison for his role in conspiring to illegally distribute over 1.8 million doses of controlled substances, including oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine. Additionally, Talbot was convicted for defrauding health care programs, totaling over $5.4 million in fraudulent claims, the Justice Department (DOJ) announced today.
Talbot, 59, of Slidell, Louisiana, owned and operated Medex Clinical Consultants, a medical clinic that facilitated the illegal distribution of controlled substances. Court documents reveal that Talbot accepted cash payments from individuals seeking prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances without proper medical evaluations.
The DOJ’s investigation revealed that Talbot ignored clear signs that patients were misusing the drugs or already addicted to them. Even after taking a full-time job in Pineville in 2015, Talbot continued to pre-sign prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances at his Slidell clinic, even though he did not personally examine the patients involved.
In 2016, Talbot hired another practitioner who followed his instructions to pre-sign prescriptions for cash deposits into the Medex bank account. Talbot then falsified patient records to cover up the illegal activity, making it appear that he had examined the patients before prescribing medication.
The fraudulent prescriptions were often filled using insurance benefits, leading to millions of dollars in fraudulent claims billed to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana for unnecessary controlled substances.
Talbot was convicted on July 22, 2024, of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances, four counts of unlawful distribution, maintaining a drug-involved premises, and conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
This sentencing highlights the ongoing effort by the DOJ to crack down on opioid abuse and health care fraud, particularly involving medical professionals who exploit their positions for illegal financial gain.
