Doctor pleads guilty to doling out unnecessary prescription drugs

A Southwest Florida doctor just pleaded guilty to giving prescription drugs to patients just because they asked.

Investigators said Dr. Gerald Abraham was prescribing Adderall and Xanax, and increasing doses of oxycontin while only taking cash for payment.

Now, he’s facing significant prison time and hefty fines after pleading to three counts of dispensing controlled substances without legitimate purpose and outside the course of professional practice.

Abraham had nothing to say as he walked into federal court Thursday in Fort Myers to plead guilty.

An anonymous tip to the Drug Enforcement Administration lead to a two-year investigation. Using a confidential source and two undercover agents, they found Abraham giving out a high volume of pills during short visits without properly evaluating patients.

According to the plea agreement, during one visit, Abraham increased the strength of a patient’s oxycontin “simply because she asked for an increase.”

One undercover agent had a similar experience: an appointment only took five minutes and the doctor upped the strength of the oxycontin “without justification.”

The other undercover agent “presented with warning signs for drug abuse which were ignored by Abraham.”

As part of the plea, the U.S. Secret Service seized several assets, including nearly $250,000 from four different bank accounts and nine cars that included a 2020 Porsche, a brand-new yellow Corvette and a 2020 Aston Martin. They also seized a nearly $200,000 down payment for an even newer Aston Martin.

Each count Abraham faces carries 20 years in prison for each count, a $1,000,000 fine, a special assessment, and three years of supervised release.