Orange Doctor Enters Plea In Federal Oxycodone Case

ORANGE, CT — A 56-year-old physician from Orange waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty this week to offenses related to his illegal prescribing of oxycodone, and his failure to pay federal withholding taxes, announced United States Attorney John H. Durham.

Dr. Sheikh Ahmed, who operated East Hartford Medical Center on Burnside Avenue in East Hartford, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport. He also pleaded guilty to failing to pay federal withholding taxes.

According to court documents, despite being a pediatrician, Ahmed's practice had a focus beyond only treating children. According to prosecutors, between December 2017 and May 2018, "Ahmed prescribed controlled substances, including Oxycodone, to two individuals outside the scope of professional medical practice."

The two individuals paid the doctor $500 to issue prescriptions for 30-day supplies of Oxycodone, and "Ahmed agreed to increase the patients' dosage in the future, without discussion as to the medical justification for the increase."

Ahmed counseled the patients about the need to increase dosages gradually to avoid scrutiny from pharmacies regarding the prescribed medications, prosecutors said. He also had the patients "bypass normal financial intake procedures and took cash payments directly from the patients."

Additionally, Ahmed failed to perform sufficient examinations to assess the patients' pain levels prior to issuing the prescriptions.

"The investigation also revealed that Ahmed failed to pay over to the Internal Revenue Service $117,893 in employee withholding taxes from five of his businesses, including East Hartford Medical Center, between 2013 and 2016," according to Durham.

Ahmed was arrested on a criminal complaint on November 28, 2018. He is released on a $200,000 bond pending sentencing, though a sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

He pleaded guilty to:

• One count of prescribing outside the scope of medical practice, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years
• One count of willful failure to pay withholding taxes, which carries a maximum prison term of five years

This investigation is being conducted by the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The DEA Task Force includes officers from the Bristol, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan and Christopher W. Schmeisser.