A Richland naturopathic doctor will pay $70,096 for issuing at least 421 prescriptions for anti-anxiety drugs, sleep aids and sedatives when her license did not cover those medications.
Dr. Judith K Caporiccio, 72, reached a settlement to resolve allegations under the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act.
The Department of Justice, announced the agreement Tuesday, saying Caporiccio was accused of improperly prescribing controlled substances between July 2016 and July 2021.
She stopped doing it after being contacted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and at that time she voluntarily surrendered her DEA registration.
Online records show her office is at 1601 Columbia Park Trail in the Island View Building.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref for the Eastern District of Washington said Tuesday her office is committed to protecting the community from drug misuse and diversion.
"I am relieved that it appears no patient was seriously harmed by the medications improperly prescribed by Dr. Caporiccio," Waldref said in the news release. "But when a healthcare practitioner prescribes controlled substances that she is not licensed or qualified to prescribe, the public is placed at serious risk of potentially dangerous side effects, drug interactions, and contraindications."
"This resolution demonstrates our commitment to protecting public health, keeping our families safe, and building strong communities," she continued.
As a naturopathic physician, Caporiccio was only authorized under state and federal law to prescribe two types of controlled substances — codeine and testosterone products.
She admitted in the settlement agreement issuing the 421 unauthorized prescriptions.
They included: the sleep aid zolpidem, often sold under brand name Ambien; anti-anxiety drugs alprazolam, sometimes sold as Xanax, and benzodiazepine lorazepam; stimulant modafinil, typically prescribed for narcolepsy and sleep apnea; and the sedative pregabalin, sold as Lyrica.
Caporiccio agreed to implement additional controls and procedures in her medical practice to ensure it doesn't happen again.
The Washington state Department of Health's website shows that Caporiccio's license is active through March 2023, with no enforcement action. Her license was first issued in December 2008.
The case was investigated by DEA's Diversion Control Division in Seattle, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General in Seattle, and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Eastern Washington.
"Doctor Caporiccio's careless and irresponsible prescribing habits are a violation of federal law and in serious breach of her naturopathic license, presenting a clear and present danger to our nation's health and security," Frank A. Tarentino III, special agent-in-charge of the DEA's Seattle Field Office, said in the release.
"The DEA is working closely with our federal partners in a joint effort to increase community outreach and education, while simultaneously using our civil and administrative enforcement authorities to hold accountable pharmacies who fail to exercise their corresponding responsibility and prescribers who are writing prescriptions outside their scope of practice," he added.
"Today's settlement sends a strong message that we will seek justice and hold those accountable, like Dr. Caporiccio, who intentionally distribute highly addictive drugs to patients with reckless abandon and no concern for their safety."
