Luis Carlos Cordova, the operator of Limitless Aesthetics and Healthcare in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, has reached a civil settlement with the United States government regarding alleged violations of federal controlled-substance recordkeeping requirements under the Controlled Substances Act.
The settlement follows findings that Cordova failed to properly maintain records related to controlled substances at his clinic over a two-year period. According to the agreement, for the 2021 biennial inventory, Cordova did not record the required count or volume of controlled substances on hand and could not account for 240 missing dosages. The following year, he again failed to document necessary details such as count, volume, and finished form of controlled substances and was unable to account for four additional missing dosage units.
The settlement also outlines further alleged violations. Between 2020 and 2021, Cordova did not record actual dates of receipt for four shipments of controlled substances. In addition, from September 30, 2020 through May 15, 2022, he reportedly failed to document bottle sizes for 269 dispensing-log entries. Federal law requires practitioners to keep complete and accurate records of all controlled substances received, stored, or dispensed in order to ensure inventories can be tracked and audited.
“Accurate recordkeeping is the backbone of the Controlled Substances Act and the clearest way to prevent diversion,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. “This office and our DEA partners will keep enforcing those requirements without exception so New Mexicans stay protected from the risks of missing or unaccounted-for controlled substances.”
“The men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration will continue to utilize every tool at its disposal to hold those who betray the American trust,” said Omar Arellano, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “When a DEA registration is issued, practitioners are held to the highest standard; they are expected to properly handle and document the handling of controlled substances.”
Cordova has agreed to pay $70,000 as part of this settlement resolving civil monetary claims by the United States arising from these allegations. The agreement does not include an admission of liability.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Omar Arellano from DEA’s El Paso Division. The investigation was supported by auditors Julie Chappell and Phillip Stella as well as Assistant United States Attorney Sean M. Cunniff.
