A west Tennessee psychiatrist was sentenced Friday to four years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for unlawfully distributing opioids, according to authorities.
U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced Richard Farmer, 83, of Memphis, Tennessee.
Farmer was found guilty by a jury on Feb. 21, 2020, of three counts of distribution of controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
According to officials, the defendant was charged in an April 2019 indictment as part of the first Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force Takedown.
His conviction was the first guilty trial verdict for the ARPO Strike Force, officials stated.
“Opioid misuse and abuse is an insidious epidemic, created in large part by the over-prescribing and diversion of potent opioids,” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of Tennessee. “This sentence demonstrates our ability and resolve to aggressively prosecute and hold accountable any medical personnel who misuse their positions of trust to exploit the very people coming to them for help.”
“Doctors who prey on those who suffer from the disease of addiction are no better than street corner drug dealers,” said Special Agent in Charge Todd Scott of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Louisville Division.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Farmer prescribed opioids to three sisters with whom he had ongoing sexual contact during the time he was prescribing.
The evidence showed that between July 2016 and January 2019, Farmer prescribed over 1,200 pills, even though the three sisters showed clear signs of addiction.
The evidence further showed that he kept almost no patient files on these women.
Farmer also provided opioid prescriptions for the women’s friends, without keeping patient files for them or requiring medical examinations.