Samuel Mintlow, M.D.; Decision and Order

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration [Docket No. 13-37] On July 2, 2013, the Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Diversion Control, Drug Enforcement Administration, issued an Order to Show Cause to Samuel Mintlow, M.D. (hereinafter, Respondent), of Conyers, Georgia. ALJ Ex. 1. The Show Cause Order proposed the revocation of Respondent's DEA Certificate of Registration BM0288983, which authorizes him to dispense controlled substances in schedules II through V, and the denial of any pending applications to renew or modify his registration, on the ground that his “registration is inconsistent with the public interest.” Id. (citing 21 U.S.C. 823(f) and 824(a)(4) ). The Show Cause Order specifically alleged that around January 2011, one Charles Thomas Laing, a resident of Tennessee, and one Mark Del Percio, a resident of South Florida, neither of whom is a licensed medical professional, decided to open a pain management clinic which was named Liberty Wellness Center (hereinafter, Liberty or LWC) in Norcross, Georgia. Id. at 2. The Order alleged that in January 2011, Respondent was hired to treat Liberty's patients and to distribute controlled substances, and that through April 2012, Liberty “unlawfully distributed controlled substances through prescriptions issued under [Respondent's] registration for no legitimate medical purpose” including highly abused drugs such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and carisoprodol. Id. The Orde…