The 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown charged 74 defendants in opioid-related health care fraud. According to the DOJ, 44 of them held medical licenses—doctors, pharmacists, and clinic owners. Many of these professionals now face federal charges for illegally distributing over 15 million prescription opioid pills.

This isn’t about backdated prescriptions or clerical issues. These are large-scale diversion schemes where opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and carisoprodol were allegedly routed through complicit pharmacies and then trafficked for cash. One case in Texas alone involved over 3 million opioid pills.

The DEA, DOJ, and HHS-OIG have made it clear: if you’ve used your license to distribute controlled substances outside legitimate medical practice, you are a priority target. If you’ve been subpoenaed or know your billing is under scrutiny, you need to start preparing your defense and release plan immediately.

Medical Licenses Don’t Shield You from Prosecution

The idea that being a licensed provider offers some protection is no longer valid. This takedown shows that your license may actually increase your exposure. According to Acting DEA Administrator Robert Murphy, “When doctors become drug dealers and treatment centers become profit-driven fraud rings, DEA will act.”

They’re not just revoking licenses. They’re charging people criminally and pushing for prison time. In the last six months alone, the DEA has opened 93 administrative cases to revoke DEA registrations. That’s on top of the criminal charges filed this week.

If you worked at a clinic or pharmacy that pushed large quantities of opioids—especially with minimal records or cash payments—federal agents have likely flagged your name. The real question is whether you’ll have a documented plan in place before prosecutors decide what charges to bring.

What Early Action Looks Like

When you’re under investigation for opioid diversion, the facts matter—but the timing matters just as much. If you wait for your indictment before taking steps, you’re walking into sentencing with no narrative, no release plan, and nothing to show that you’ve taken steps to acknowledge the problem and build a plan to address it.

Early action means:

• Working with counsel immediately—not after you’re arrested
  
• Writing a detailed release plan that explains your role in the fraud, outlines what you’ve done to fix it, and shows how you’re reducing your risk to the community
  
• Publishing that plan on PrisonProfessorsTalent.com, where prosecutors, probation officers, and judges can see your progress in real time
  
• Following the strategy Michael Santos used—and has taught to thousands—by creating a public record of your preparation, not just private promises
  

When prosecutors see a defendant who has stayed silent, hired a defense lawyer late, and done nothing to document progress, they assume they’ll need to make an example. But when someone shows up with a plan and documented proof of effort, that gives prosecutors a reason to reduce charges or recommend leniency.

You Won’t Get a Second Chance at First Impressions

Prosecutors make early judgments based on how defendants respond. If they see cooperation, clarity, and preparation, it can change how a case is charged—or whether it gets charged at all. If they see defiance or delay, the case gets more aggressive.

This matters for licensed professionals in particular. Once your name is public and your license is revoked, the reputational damage is permanent. If you act early, you may be able to avoid indictment altogether—or secure a plea deal with fewer charges and a shorter sentence.

Your license doesn’t protect you anymore. The only thing that works in your favor is having a clear, documented plan in place before the government moves forward with charges

The opioid cases from this takedown were built using records, controlled buys, prescription data, and financial analysis. If you think you can talk your way out later, you’re mistaken. The people who did that are now on the DOJ’s press release.

Schedule a personal call. Or join our weekly webinar every Tuesday at 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern. If your name appears on prescribing records or payment logs from one of these clinics or pharmacies, you need to start preparing now—waiting will cost you.

Justin Paperny