2 Texas physicians guilty of prescribing opioids illegally

Two Texas physicians were convicted of unlawfully prescribing opioids and other controlled substances to undercover agents posing as patients.

Leovares Mendez, MD, 58, who co-owned and operated Cumbre Medical Center in Dallas, was convicted on six counts of unlawful distribution and one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, according to a Feb. 5 news release from the Justice Department. Co-defendant Cesar Pena-Rodriguez, MD, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

The defendants issued prescriptions without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice for controlled substances — including hydrocodone, alprazolam and tramadol — to undercover agents posing as patients in exchange for cash, according to the release. Dr. Mendez also coached the undercover officers on what to say if ever contacted by law enforcement in relation to the illegal prescriptions.

Dr. Mendez faces up to 140 years in federal prison. He will be sentenced at a later date; Dr. Pena-Rodriguez is scheduled for sentencing April 22.