A Worcester psychiatrist has been sentenced in federal court for unlawfully prescribing controlled substances. Mohamad Och, 69, received four years of probation and a $30,000 fine from U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman. In November 2023, Och was convicted by a jury of three counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance after an 11-day trial.
Och owned and operated Island Counseling Center in Worcester and practiced psychiatry in other locations across Massachusetts, including Nantucket. He was authorized to prescribe Schedule II-IV controlled substances.
According to evidence presented at trial, Och repeatedly prescribed combinations of benzodiazepines and stimulants outside the usual course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purposes. Between August 2016 and February 2017, he knowingly issued prescriptions for Adderall (a Schedule II amphetamine) and Xanax (a Schedule IV benzodiazepine) to undercover federal agents. The trial showed that amphetamines carry significant abuse potential and cardiovascular risks, while mixing Xanax with stimulants like Adderall can be dangerous.
The court found that Och provided these medications without conducting proper psychiatric examinations or obtaining prior medical records. He also failed to administer diagnostic tests such as urinalyses or blood tests, even when there were indications that the undercover patients might be involved in drug diversion. Additionally, Och did not discuss medication side effects or review symptoms with the undercover agents but documented in medical records that he had done so.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Special Agent in Charge Roberto Coviello of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today.”
“Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Kaitlin R. O’Donnell of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.”
