SACRAMENTO- On December 5, 2019, a federal grand jury brought a 14-count indictment against a physician, Edmund Kemprud, of Dublin, charging him with prescribing opioids to patients outside the usual course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purpose.
According to court documents, Kemprud was a physician licensed to practice medicine in California and maintained a medical practice in Dublin and Tracy. On 14 occasions between September 6, 2018 and March 13, 2019, Kemprud allegedly prescribed highly addictive, commonly abused prescription drugs, including Hydrocodone, Alprazolam, and Oxycodone – outside the usual course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purpose. Kemprud was arrested on December 9th and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.
“California Department of Justice special agents are working to identify physicians who are prescribing highly addictive drugs for no medical reason,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. “Those who do, are contributing to this county’s drug addiction problem which leads to broken families, lost jobs, homelessness and death.”
“Doctors who violate their position of trust must be held accountable,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. “Prescription drug diversion and the resultant abuse has led to a public health crisis that affects communities and families across California and the nation. It takes all of us working together to combat this epidemic and heal our communities. Our office and special agents will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to investigate and prosecute bad actors. At the California Department of Justice, we stand ready to use the tools at our disposal to
This case is the product of an investigation by the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse Drug Diversion Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
If convicted, Kemprud faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison.
