U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh | U.S. Department of Justice
A man from Dublin, Virginia, has pled guilty to federal charges after continuing to prescribe pain medication without the necessary license. Ehikioya Osemobor, 47, waived his right to an indictment and admitted guilt to using an expired Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) number.
Court documents reveal that in 2009, the Virginia Board of Medicine mistakenly issued Osemobor a license to practice medicine and surgery despite him not meeting all requirements of the United States Medical Licensing Examination at that time. This error was uncovered in 2019 while Osemobor was practicing at River Valley Healthcare Associates in Dublin, Virginia. His DEA registration had been granted under the assumption he held a valid medical license.
Upon discovery of the mistake, the Virginia Board of Medicine instructed Osemobor to provide proof of fulfilling licensing requirements. In February 2020, he informed the board of his decision to voluntarily surrender his medical license, formalized by a consent order on April 6, 2020.
Despite this surrender, Osemobor continued issuing prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances until April 15, 2020. He has acknowledged knowing he was unauthorized to write prescriptions post-surrender.
The announcement came from U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh alongside Jarod Forget from the DEA’s Washington Division and George Scavdis from the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations' Metropolitan Washington Field Office.
The investigation involved the Drug Enforcement Administration and The Food and Drug Administration - Office of Inspector General with support from the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Department of Health Professions. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin B. Johnson and Keith Parella are leading prosecution efforts.
