San Diego Doctor Charged in Hydrocodone

What Happened

Egisto Salerno, a medical doctor who owns and operates a medical office on El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego, California, and seven others were arrested on federal charges in March 2018. The charges stemmed from their alleged roles in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute hydrocodone as part of a pill mill operation. The headline of the notice alleged that the doctor prescribed opioids for dead and incarcerated people. The case was at the charging stage, and the notice reported no conviction or sentence.

“seven others have been arrested on federal charges stemming from their alleged roles in a conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute hydrocodone”
HHS-OIG enforcement action page, Mar 12, 2018

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, Mar 12, 2018

Case at a Glance

Setting: Physician-owned medical office
Drug: Hydrocodone
Method: Alleged pill mill operation, including prescriptions for dead and incarcerated people
Status: Arrested and charged March 2018 on federal charges

Source: HHS Office of Inspector General

What this case shows

Where this record connects to the site's working material. Links are chosen from the case's setting, drug and method fields.

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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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CPhT — Certified Pharmacy Technician, with 10+ years of pharmacy practice across retail, hospice, compounding, home-health, and hospital settings

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San Diego Doctor Charged in Hydrocodone Pill Mill Case