Dr. Juan Kurdi, a cardiologist based in Lubbock, Texas, has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act by prescribing opioids and other controlled substances outside accepted medical practice and not for legitimate medical reasons. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.
Dr. Kurdi is an interventional cardiologist who co-owned and operated a group medical practice in Lubbock.
“Prescribing opioids and other dangerous narcotics outside the usual course of professional practice betrays the trust placed in physicians by society and threatens public safety,” said Nancy E. Larson, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. “This settlement demonstrates our office’s commitment to holding doctors accountable for violating their obligations to properly prescribe these powerful drugs.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker added, “This case should serve as a strong warning to all physicians who knowingly prescribe controlled substances without a legitimate medical need or a proper doctor-patient relationship. The DEA will continue to aggressively target and hold accountable physicians who, like Dr. Kurdi, contribute to the poisoning crisis in our communities by improperly distributing these controlled substances.”
According to settlement documents, federal authorities allege that Dr. Kurdi—who previously held registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration—issued multiple prescriptions for medications such as Oxycodone, Alprazolam, Tramadol, Dextroamp-Amphetamine, Vyvanse, among others. These prescriptions were written in the names of family members and friends but were often intended for his own use rather than patient care needs. The government claims that Dr. Kurdi did not establish proper physician-patient relationships or conduct physical examinations before issuing these prescriptions and failed to create records supporting any clinical rationale for treatment.
The documents further state that Dr. Kurdi routinely filled these prescriptions at local pharmacies despite some named recipients living far from Lubbock—including hundreds or thousands of miles away—and would personally collect the medication for his own use.
In settlement papers, Dr. Kurdi publicly acknowledged issuing certain prescriptions under family members’ and friends’ names specifically to obtain drugs like Oxycodone for personal consumption; however, he does not admit liability regarding all alleged conduct described in the agreement.
As part of resolving this matter, Dr. Kurdi also voluntarily gave up his DEA registration required for prescribing controlled substances.
The investigation was conducted by agents from the DEA’s Fort Worth Diversion Squad along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Robbins under supervision from Kenneth Coffin (Civil Chief) and Brian Stoltz (Deputy Civil Chief) from the Northern District of Texas.
