Post-Tribune |

Gary doctor, two nurse practitioners charged after handing out illegal prescriptions, feds say

A doctor and two nurse practitioners were charged after illegally prescribing meds to an undercover informant at East Chicago and Gary health clinics, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said Tuesday.

Dr. Geoffrey Onyeukwu, 69, of Gary, and Akeem Kareem, 47, of Crown Point, and Francis Nwawueze, 57, of Merrillville were charged June 24 in Lake Superior Court, records show.

Charges alleged they prescribed medication to an undercover DEA informant from September 2018 to November 2019, records show.

The informant first got a 30-day supply of Xanax from Onyeukwu Sept. 27, 2018 at Northwest Immediate Care, 2010 E. Columbus Drive in East Chicago. The doctor shook hands, but did not perform a physical examination required by Indiana law.

At no point “did he get within three feet” of the patient, it said.

After a short conversation, Onyeukwu handed over a prescription for 60 pills, charges state. He did not offer a treatment plan, mental health counseling, or alternative treatments, it said. There were no followup orders for additional tests, including drug screening after the informant said he had taken Xanax and Hydrocodone, charges state.

The informant got a refill on Xanax Oct. 26 at the same clinic from Kareem, without a state-required physical exam, allegedly using Onyeukwu’s signature and DEA registration number, records state. The informant later got Xanax and Ambien prescriptions from Kareem from the East Chicago clinic on Nov. 16, 2018, charges show.

Kareem again signed off on the prescription Feb. 8, 2019, renewing Xanax and upping the Ambien dosage, records state.

“Let’s double it,” he said unprompted, charges show.

That summer, the informant switched to a Gary clinic where his prescriptions continued, records state. Nwawueze renewed the Xanax and Ambien prescriptions on June 18, 2019, and July 23, 2019, at Northwest Procedures and Medical Center, 3814 Grant St., charges state.

When Nwawueze ran information in a database, he asked why only one prescription showed under the informant’s name, who replied they “refilled his/her prescriptions in Illinois,” charges state.

The next visit, Aug. 20, 2019, aside from the refill, the informant said they wanted to lose weight, asking for amphetamine prescriptions, such as Phentermine, Bontril, or Ritalin. Nwawueze gave the Ritalin prescription to the informant at the front counter, charges show.

When the informant returned for a refill, Oct. 16, Onyeukwu told him he couldn’t refill Ritalin, “because he had to protect his license,” charges state. They left with Xanax and Ambien, records show. Onyeukwu again renewed the Xanax and Ambien prescriptions on Nov. 6.

Onyeukwu faces five charges of Dealing in a Controlled Substance by a Practitioner, a level four felony, two charges of Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug, a level six felony. His next court appearance is scheduled July 22 before Lake Superior Magistrate Kathleen Sullivan.

Nwawueze faces seven counts of Dealing in a Controlled Substance by a Practitioner, a level four felony. His court appearance is scheduled July 13 before Magistrate Natalie Bokota.

Kareem faces five counts of Dealing in a Controlled Substance by a Practitioner, a level four felony and one count of Use of a Fictitious Registration Number, a level six felony. His initial appearance is scheduled July 20 before Lake Superior Magistrate Kathleen Sullivan.