WASHINGTON, DC – Dr. Ndubuisi Joseph Okafor, a 64-year-old physician from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has been indicted on 29 counts in a superseding indictment for his alleged role in an illegal opioid distribution scheme. The charges were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia following a detailed investigation.
According to the indictment, Dr. Okafor is accused of distributing prescriptions for narcotics, including oxycodone and promethazine with codeine, outside the usual course of professional practice and without legitimate medical purpose. The operation, run from his medical office in Northwest Washington, D.C., involved issuing prescriptions to co-conspirators who would then fill these in various states across the country, including as far as California, Florida, and Maine.
The superseding indictment elaborates that Dr. Okafor knowingly collaborated with individuals who abused or diverted the medication, even going as far as to issue prescriptions under false names and addresses. He allegedly received cash payments for each prescription from his co-conspirators.
Originally indicted in March 2023 for similar offenses, the new charges add significant depth to the case, highlighting the nationwide scope of the conspiracy and the number of controlled substance distributions involved, including transactions with an actual patient and undercover law enforcement sources.
If convicted on all counts, Dr. Okafor could face up to 20 years in prison for each count, underscoring the severe penalties tied to the illegal distribution of controlled substances.