David Carlos Rodriguez, Jr., a 50-year-old doctor from Florence, South Carolina, has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to distributing Oxycodone outside the scope of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
Court evidence revealed that over an eight-month period, Rodriguez issued 15 prescriptions for Oxycodone to a patient. The patient felt pressured into sexual activity with Rodriguez to receive the medication. During this time, Rodriguez distributed more than 600 Oxycodone pills to the patient. On one occasion, when a pharmacy refused to fill a prescription due to the patient's concurrent use of Suboxone—a drug that should not be taken with Oxycodone—Rodriguez asked the patient for pictures of body parts before sending a new prescription to another pharmacy. He entered his guilty plea in August 2024.
"Medical providers should be a place of safety and healing, not criminal exploitation," stated U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. "This sentence underscores our commitment to prosecuting those who abuse the vulnerable regardless of their profession."
Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, remarked on the case: "DEA investigators did remarkable work in uncovering this doctor’s unlawful acts. The DEA will continue to aggressively pursue healthcare providers who distribute outside the scope of medical practice and without a medical purpose."
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson III sentenced Rodriguez to 57 months in prison followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the South Carolina Department of Public Health. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Flynn and Lauren Hummel are handling prosecution duties.