Ndubuisi Okafor, MD

Ndubuisi J. Okafor, MD, 65, solo practitioner in Internal Medicine and graduate of Howard University College of Medicine, ran a medical clinic in Washington, D.C. between May 2021 and April 2023. He was charged in 2023 with 16 counts of illegal distribution of opioids. In 2024, 29 additional counts were added, alleging he used his practice, Okafor Medical Associates, to sell unlawful opioid prescriptions for cash. On March 21, 2025, he was convicted in court of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances (outside the practice of medicine), maintaining a drug-involved premise and 22 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances (oxycodone and promethazine with codeine (a cough syrup with an antihistamine).

Lies, lies, and more lies.

When US government agents put out convicting lies against defendants, they need to pay the victim back for their entire lifetime. THEY are the law-breakers, in order to win their case.  Here is a perfect example.  I can bet that these charges are false, but they write them in the press release like they are factual.

In the April, 2024 press release by the US Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia, they claim

 “Okafor would distribute controlled substance prescriptions to co-conspirators whom he knew to be abusing or diverting the medication, in names and addresses requested by his co-conspirators, even when he knew the names or addresses were false.”

“Okafor is alleged to have distributed dangerous and highly addictive controlled substances via medically unnecessary prescriptions to co-conspirators in at least 37 states nationwide and had knowledge that co-conspirators were traveling from the Washington, D.C. metro area to states as far as California, Florida, and Maine to have these illicit prescriptions filled.”

“Okafor was paid in cash by his co-conspirators for each prescription issued.”

According to the DOJ, Dr. Okafor prescribed opioids to numerous people using false identities. Due to his telemedicine, he treated patients in 45 states. But that isn’t illegal. And during this time of his treatment, telemedicine was approved because of COVID.

The DOJ press release stated that the FBI had received information from law enforcement agencies nationwide regarding prescriptions from Okafor being connected to local drug trafficking networks, and they claim that Dr. Okafor was aware of this diversion. They sent undercover agents to him for walk-in appointments. Each individual was prescribed opioids by Okafor after what they called, “minimal examination”.

At the trial they had two patients testify against Dr. Okafor.  How do they accomplish that?  By threatening the patients with jail time as a drug distributor, so they commit perjury.

The government called two medical experts who were paid to say he was “operating a classic pill mill” out of his office with ‘drug deals’ where the prescriptions would be exchanged for cash. But to contrast that, the defense’s expert witness testified that the prescribing practices he observed in recorded visits between Okafor and patients showed the “process of clinical judgment that defines responsible medicine.”

To prevent him from having a defense, Dr. Okafor was held without bond since his arrest in April 2023. Judge Bates considered Dr. Okafor posed a serious risk of flight based on his “extensive history of fraud and deception,” dual citizenship in Nigeria and the money law enforcement confiscated from him on his arrest.

The investigation also resulted in the immediate suspension of Okafor’s DEA registration number in September 2023 as he was deemed to be a threat to public health and safety “due to the volume of unlawful distribution of opioids”. This is standard protocol for the DEA when a doctor is targeted.

The real criminals here are U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Matthew R. Galeotti, DOJ Criminal Division, DOJ Fraud analyst Michael Goodrich, FBI Assistant Director David Sundberg, FBI Agent Sean Ryan, HHS/OIG Agent /Maureen R. Dixon, IG Daniel W. Lucas, and DEA Agents Ibrar A. Mian and Jarod Forget, assistant US Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, Trial Attorney Kathryn Furtado and paralegals Rebecca Walton, Dillon Clark, and Matthew McClarnon.

Other law enforcement divisions listed by the Justice Department press release that reap income from getting involved in this attack who should also pay for their illegal acts are the Apex, North Carolina Police Department, the Warsaw, New York, Police Department, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Pennsylvania State Police, State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy, and the Noble County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office.

This case had some interesting factual evidence of how the government targets and then convicts innocent doctors.  First, the DEA sent the doctor an Order to Show Cause in order to suspend the doctor’s controlled substance registration.  The doctor can request an administrative hearing, but if he/she doesn’t, then the accusations stand as fact. Is there any real justice in having a hearing?  No. The specifics that are listed in the law to suspend a certificate are not followed.  Any doctor can be found “a danger to public safety”, even if all of his/her actions were proper medicine for patient care.  How do I know this? Because the same thing happened to me.  In fact, the administrative judge in my case even told the DEA lawyer what to do and say through the process.

In the case of Dr. Okafor, the complete report of DEA action to suspend his certificate is HERE. He did not request a hearing, so the “findings” of the DEA became “fact”.  This is then used against him in court. To summarize, the findings included:

Between November 15, 2022, and February 1, 2023, Registrant unlawfully issued at least eleven prescriptions for promethazine with codeine 6.25-10mg/5ml (a schedule V opioid) to eleven fictitious individuals to be filled by out-of-state pharmacies. By not fighting this charge with a hearing, the doctor admits, per the DEA procedure, that “this conduct was in violation of federal and state laws and that his conduct was outside the usual course of professional practice.

Another interesting publication is the judge’s decision on some motions by both sides of this case. This is found at https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-okafor-19. The interesting points to be learned from this publication is that judges believe that the prosecution’s side is the one to believe.  Even though Judge Bates makes this statement at the beginning,

“The following summary is based on the factual assertions in the indictment and the government’s motions, which the Court relates solely as a summary of what the government intends to prove at trial. The Court’s reliance on these alleged facts for purposes of this opinion should not be construed as an endorsement of their truth, which is a determination for the jury.”

He follows a few paragraphs later as he reviews the motions with:

“In ruling on each, the Court is mindful that it must presume the truth of the government’s proffered facts.”

and

“Taking as true, for now, the evidence the government proffers, there is more than “sufficient” proof “to support a finding” that a conspiracy existed and that Okafor participated in it-“

In the course of his decision-making, he stated that attacks on doctors can be done through the Controlled Substance Act, even though that was not the intent of the law and the prosecution is misusing the phrase that actually prohibits the attack of doctors treating patients.  But since the Justice System reaps benefits from the fines, confiscations, and restitution, plus they help the FBOP fill the beds in the prisons, the judges are not going to end these attacks on their own. He even quotes Ruan as a use against Dr. Okafor.

The only answer to stop these attacks is to repeal the CSA.  We have the explanation as to why that should be a priority. People just need to learn it and get behind it. Until that happens, more doctors will have their lives destroyed and patients will not get the treatment they need for pain. So why haven’t you learned?