Ndubuisi Joseph Okafor, M.D., aged 65, from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison by the U.S. District Court for distributing narcotic prescriptions illegally from his medical practice in Northwest Washington D.C. This sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
On March 21, 2025, a jury found Okafor guilty of several charges including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances outside the professional practice, maintaining a drug-involved premises, and unlawful distribution of controlled substances such as oxycodone and promethazine with codeine.
In addition to his prison sentence, Judge John D. Bates ordered Okafor to serve three years of supervised release and pay a special assessment. He is also required to forfeit $213,173.97.
Court documents revealed that between May 2021 and April 2023, Okafor operated as the sole practitioner at Okafor Medical Associates in Washington D.C. The investigation into his activities began after nationwide law enforcement agencies reported connections between his prescriptions and local drug trafficking networks.
From February 18 to November 30, 2022, undercover agents and confidential sources visited Okafor's clinic where they were prescribed opioids following minimal examinations. The investigation uncovered a broader scheme involving false identities used to obtain prescriptions for diversion purposes across at least 45 states.
The case resulted in the suspension of Okafor’s DEA registration number in September 2023 due to public health concerns.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office led the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General and other agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division.
Support during the investigation came from various law enforcement bodies including police departments from Apex, North Carolina; Warsaw, New York; and others across multiple states.
Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey along with Trial Attorney Kathryn Furtado and paralegals Rebecca Walton, Dillon Clark, and Matthew McClarnon from the Justice Department’s Fraud Section. Michael Goodrich served as Lead Travel Analyst for the team.
