A December trial date was tentatively set for a San Gabriel Valley doctor who allegedly issued more than 42,000 illegal prescriptions for painkillers, including oxycodone.
Daniel Cham, 47, was arrested Wednesday at his Covina home and pleaded not guilty Thursday to a 31-count federal indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charges against him include drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud and making false statements to federal authorities.
He is scheduled to go on trial Dec. 16.
Federal authorities served warrants at 13 locations in May, including Cham’s home and medical offices in La Puente and Artesia. According to prosecutors, Cham would often see patients between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, then post-date prescriptions to make it appear that he wrote them on weekdays. Since July 2010, he is believed to have issued more than 42,000 illegal prescriptions for drugs such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin or Norco), alprazolam (Xanax) and carisoprodol (Soma), prosecutors said.
“The problem of pharmaceuticals being diverted to the black market continues to grow, which feeds drug addiction and leads to additional criminal acts by addicts,” Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Yonekura said. “Unscrupulous doctors who prescribe controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose are simply fueling a black market of narcotics.”
Federal prosecutors said an undercover officer visited Cham’s La Puente offie three times, and Cham wrote prescriptions in exchange for $200 or $300.
Cham allegedly wrote multiple illegal prescriptions to Studio City resident Tracy Townsend, 51, who used at least five false identities, prosecutors said. Townsend is named in the indictment but is still at large.
If convicted of all charges, Cham faces up to 339 in federal prison, prosecutors said.
—City News Service