Ndubuisi Joseph Okafor, M.D., a 65-year-old physician from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has been found guilty by a federal jury in U.S. District Court for illegally distributing prescriptions for narcotics in exchange for cash at his medical clinic in Northwest Washington D.C.
The verdict was made public by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., along with other officials including Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and FBI Special Agent Sean Ryan from the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.
Okafor was convicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances outside the practice of medicine, maintaining a drug-involved premises, and 22 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances such as oxycodone and promethazine with codeine. His sentencing is scheduled for June 20, 2025, before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates.
According to court documents and trial evidence, Okafor operated as the sole practitioner at Okafor Medical Associates between May 2021 and April 2023. Investigations began after information was received about his prescriptions being linked to drug trafficking networks across the country.
Between February and November 2022, undercover agents visited Okafor's practice where they were prescribed opioids following minimal examinations. The investigation revealed that Okafor's operations extended across at least 45 states involving numerous false identities used to divert medication.
His actions resulted in hundreds of thousands of units of opioids being prescribed nationwide. He was also found guilty of conspiracy and maintaining a drug-involved premises. Evidence showed that after being notified about a complaint filed against him by J.V.'s family member, he created backdated records to justify his prescribing practices.
In September 2023, Okafor's DEA registration number was suspended due to concerns over public health and safety.
The case involved efforts from various law enforcement agencies including the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General among others.
Acknowledgment was given to several police departments across different states for their support during the investigation and trial process.
Assistant United States Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey led the prosecution alongside Trial Attorney Kathryn Furtado with assistance from paralegals Rebecca Walton, Dillon Clark, Matthew McClarnon, and Michael Goodrich from the Justice Department’s Fraud Section.