One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
WeHo Clinic Doc Arrested on Charges He Runs a 'Pill Mill'
Photo by Amanda M. Hatfield/Flickr
A West Hollywood clinic's doctor has been arrested on charges he wrote "thousands of prescriptions for highly addictive drugs for 'patients' he did not examine and who simply paid cash for the prescriptions," according to the Department of Justice. 37-year-old Dr. Nathan Kuemmerle was taken into custody yesterday by the DEA and the Redondo Beach PD after an investigation into his medical practice indicated he runs what one professional calls a "quintessential 'pill mill.'"
Kuemmerle was found to offer scrips for drugs like Adderall and Xanax after just a few minutes with the recipient, and often put the cash payments in his own pockets.
A study of his records show that "[f]rom the beginning of 2006 through late November 2009, Kuemmerle wrote 14,529 prescriptions for a variety of controlled substances, meaning that he averaged 15 prescriptions during his normal five-hour workday."
Police began to look into Kuemmerle last August when they arrested someone for posting ads on Craigslist to sell Adderall; the arrestee claimed Kuemmerle urged him to sell the Adderall online in order to pay for a more expensive drug, Subutex, for which the doctor also provided a prescription.
Authorities also arrested the clinic's office manager, Antoine Phillips, who "sometimes initially discussed with the “patients” what drugs they wanted," and "often prepared prescriptions for Kuemmerle’s signature." Both will appear today in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
