NYC Doctor Sentenced in Insys Subsys

What Happened

Gordon Freedman, a doctor who practiced in New York, New York, was sentenced on July 8, 2021, in Manhattan federal court to 121 months in prison. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that he took part in a scheme to receive bribes and kickbacks, in the form of fees for sham educational programs called Speaker Programs, from pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics. The payments were in exchange for prescribing millions of dollars' worth of Subsys, a potent fentanyl-based spray manufactured by Insys, among other offenses.

“was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 121 months in prison”
HHS-OIG enforcement action page, Jul 8, 2021

Related Guidance

15 Red Flags of Drug Diversion — Behavioral and transactional indicators of diversion.
Investigation Playbook — How to investigate suspected diversion inside an organization.

Sources

HHS-OIG enforcement action page, Jul 8, 2021

Case at a Glance

Setting: Medical practice
Drug: Subsys (fentanyl-based spray)
Method: Prescribing Subsys in exchange for bribes and kickbacks disguised as speaker program fees
Status: Sentenced July 8, 2021 to 121 months in prison

Source: HHS Office of Inspector General

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Last reviewed: September 2026 · Educational content, not legal advice.

About the author

DivertGuard is built and maintained by Alex Rodriguez, MHIIM, CPhT (also known as Jesus Rodriguez) — a drug diversion prevention program manager with more than a decade in pharmacy practice, including direct responsibility for a health-system controlled substance diversion prevention program.

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Credentials

Doctorate candidate — Doctor of Health Informatics (DHI), Rutgers University, School of Health Professions; research on health data analytics and the prediction of cognitive decline
MHIIM — master's in health informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center (2019–2021)
CPhT — Certified Pharmacy Technician, with 10+ years of pharmacy practice across retail, hospice, compounding, home-health, and hospital settings

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Registry Insights: Sentences, Fines, States and Outcomes

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NYC Doctor Sentenced in Insys Subsys Bribery Scheme