A federal jury convicted a physician Tuesday in Tennessee for unlawfully distributing opioids from his Smyrna clinic, officials stated.
The evidence presented at trial indicated that Hau T. La, 54, of Brentwood, owned and operated Absolute Medical Care (AMC), which closed in the Spring of 2021.
La was convicted of 12 counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
He faces up to 20 years in prison for each of these convictions.
The FBI, DEA, and other federal agencies investigated this case.
La was acquitted on four counts of the indictment. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2023.
At AMC, La purportedly provided addiction treatment as his primary practice but nevertheless prescribed opioid pain pills to some of his patients despite red flags for addiction and abuse.
AMC, which did not accept health insurance, charged patients $200-$350 cash, credit, or debit, per visit and was only open on Fridays. La rarely spent more than a few minutes with the patients to whom he provided unlawful opioid prescriptions.
Trial Attorneys Leslie Fisher and Emily Petro of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.