LOS ANGELES – A 78-year-old Los Angeles-area doctor plead guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge for illegally distributing a powerful pain killer know by the brand names Vicodin and Norco, federal officials said.
Dr. Andrew Sun, of La Mirada, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of distribution of hydrocodone and one count of money laundering. He also admitted to illegally prescribing Xanax and Soma.
Sun admits that he prescribed these drugs from the beginning on 2011 through June 2012.
He is facing up to 10 years in federal prison on the drug charge and up to 20 years in custody for money laundering, according to authorities..
Sun, who operated medical clinics in San Gabriel and East Los Angeles, was named in an indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury about three months ago.
In his plea agreement, Sun acknowledges that he issued a dozen prescriptions to “patients” who were undercover law enforcement officers who made cash payments and who “did not have a legitimate medical need for the drugs.”
Sun admitted receiving about $554,070 in cash payments from patients, which he deposited into a personal account.
As part of his plea agreement, Sun agreed to forfeit the profits that he earned from his illegal medical practice, including about $342,000 seized from his accounts in July 2012.
Sun also agreed to pay $86,975 in restitution to the California Medical Board, which participated in the investigation into the doctor’s illegal activities. Sun also agreed to cooperate in any action taken by the Medical Board to revoke his medical license, officials said.
The investigation into Sun was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS – Criminal Investigation, the California Medical Board, the California Department of Health Care Services and the Monterey Park Police Department.