U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that BARBARA A. BRUCE, M.D., age 43, pled guilty yesterday to a one count Bill of Information charging her with conspiring with others to dispense quantities of Schedule II and Schedule III drugs outside the scope of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purposes.
According to court documents, DR. BRUCE admitted in a factual basis that she owned and operated the medical office of Barbara A. Bruce, M.D. at 9954 Lake Forest Blvd., Suite 10, in New Orleans, between August 2014 and April 2015. She acknowledged that during her medical practice she wrote prescriptions that were provided to patients without her conducting a medical examination of the patient, and at times, without even seeing the patient. DR. BRUCE admitted that she conspired with a member of her medical staff and with KENNETH KNIGHT, who split 50 percent of the profits received by DR. BRUCE through her medical practice. KNIGHT previously entered a plea of guilty to the same conspiracy and will be sentenced on April 20, 2017.
DR. BRUCE faces a maximum sentence of five years incarceration, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown set sentencing for May 4, 2017.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration New Orleans Office and the Internal Revenue Service, Gulfport, Mississippi for investigating this matter. Assistant Attorney John F. Murphy is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
