What Happened
Xiulu Ruan and John Patrick Couch, former pain management doctors in Mobile, Alabama, were resentenced in July 2024 to 252 months and 240 months in prison, respectively. A jury convicted them in 2017 of drug and fraud offenses connected to their practice, Physicians Pain Specialists of Alabama, and its related pharmacy, C&R Pharmacy, primarily involving unlawful prescribing of opioids including fentanyl. The Eleventh Circuit vacated several convictions, but appellate courts affirmed the most substantial charges. The judge again imposed the original prison terms and reimposed restitution of nearly $14 million and the forfeiture. Ruan was also convicted of money laundering offenses.
“The jury found that Ruan and Couch committed numerous drug and fraud offenses connected primarily to the unlawful prescribing of powerful opioid medications including fentanyl”
Related Guidance
- 15 Red Flags of Drug Diversion — Behavioral and transactional indicators of diversion.
- Investigation Playbook — How to investigate suspected diversion inside an organization.