A Worcester psychiatrist, Mohamad Och, was sentenced in federal court in Boston for unlawfully prescribing controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman sentenced Och, 69, to four years of probation and ordered him to pay a $30,000 fine.
Och was convicted in November 2023 after an 11-day jury trial on three counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. He owned and operated Island Counseling Center in Worcester and practiced psychiatry at other locations in Massachusetts, including Nantucket.
Authorities said Och repeatedly prescribed benzodiazepines and stimulants outside the usual course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purposes. Between August 2016 and February 2017, he issued prescriptions for Adderall, a Schedule II amphetamine, and Xanax, a Schedule IV benzodiazepine, to undercover federal agents.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that amphetamines have significant potential for abuse and can pose serious cardiovascular risks. The risks increase when stimulants like Adderall are combined with depressants such as Xanax.
Prosecutors stated that Och prescribed these medications without conducting proper psychiatric examinations or obtaining prior medical records. He also did not perform diagnostic tests such as urinalyses or blood tests even when there were indications that the undercover patients might be involved in drug diversion activities. Additionally, Och failed to discuss medication side effects or review the symptoms and risks associated with drugs like Adderall and Xanax with the undercover agents. Despite this, his medical records indicated otherwise.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division; and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General announced the sentencing today.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Kaitlin R. O’Donnell prosecuted the case.
