A Tennessee doctor was found guilty by a federal jury Wednesday in the Middle District of Tennessee of illegally dispensing opioids out of his Smyrna clinic.
Hau T. La, 54, of Brentwood owned and ran Absolute Medical Care (AMC), which closed in the spring of 2021, according to court filings and the evidence presented at trial.
Although La’s primary focus at AMC was ostensibly addiction treatment, he nonetheless prescribed opioid painkillers to some of his patients in spite of warning signs of addiction and misuse.
AMC, which only operated on Fridays and did not take health insurance, charged patients $200 to $350 in cash, credit, or debit per appointment.
La seldom ever spent more than a few minutes with the individuals that he illegally prescribed opioids to.
La was found guilty on 12 counts of illegally distributing a controlled substance beyond the scope of her field of expertise and without a valid medical need.
His maximum sentence for each of these offences is 20 years in prison. La was found not guilty on all four charges in the indictment.
After taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal considerations, a federal district court judge will decide on any sentence. The sentencing date is set for January 5, 2023.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director David Rausch, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee, Special Agent in Charge Douglas Korneski of the FBI Memphis Field Office, Special Agent in Charge J. Todd Scott of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Louisville Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Justice
The matter was looked into by the DEA, TBI, FBI, and HHS-OIG.
The case is being prosecuted by trial attorneys Leslie Fisher and Emily Petro from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.