- A Tallahassee doctor has to pay thousands of dollars following a settlement based on violations related to a diet drug.
- The doctor is accused of issuing dozens of controlled substance prescriptions while failing to maintain patient files for the prescriptions.
- Read the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida news release about the case below.
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE NEWS RELEASE:
Dr. Mary C. Watson of Tallahassee, Florida, settled potential violations of the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) by agreeing to pay a fine of $60,000 after previously voluntarily surrendering her DEA Registration in October 2023. The settlement was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“This settlement, involving a fine and surrender of the physician’s DEA Registration, reinforces required compliance with the Controlled Substances Act,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody. “Accurate record keeping is not only required but helps ensure controlled substances are not abused by physicians and diverted for personal use. With the assistance of investigators in the Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Program, we remain committed to holding physicians accountable for their responsibilities under federal law.”
Dr. Watson entered into a civil settlement agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida after the investigation revealed numerous potential violations of the Controlled Substances Act. The government contended that Dr. Watson issued at least 76 controlled substance prescriptions for Phendimentrazine (a diet drug) and failed to maintain any patient files for those prescriptions.
“The Controlled Substance Act requires DEA registrants to maintain accurate inventorying, tracking, and record keeping to prevent the diversion of controlled substances,” said DEA Miami Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “The DEA Miami Field Division remains committed to working with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to hold DEA registrants accountable to protect the safety and health of our Florida communities.”
This civil settlement agreement is not an admission of any liability by Dr. Watson, nor a concession by the United States that its potential claims were not well-founded.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mary Ann Couch and Marie Moyle represented the United States in this matter, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Program.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Floridawebsite. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
