Cincinnati Doctor Sentenced for Illegal Distribution of Prescription Pills

May 17, 2010 - LONDON, KY—The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today that a former Cincinnati, Ohio doctor who helped facilitate a large prescription pill conspiracy in Eastern Kentucky was sentenced late yesterday afternoon to 48 months in prison for illegally prescribing thousands of prescription pills.

Lloyd Stanley Naramore, 65, admitted that starting in late 2005 and continuing until approximately June of 2007, he issued prescriptions primarily for methadone to more than 100 patients from Pike and Floyd counties without a legitimate medical purpose. Naramore acknowledged that he was aware that the patients were likely distributing the pills he issued in Eastern Kentucky.

“Mr. Naramore helped promote drug trafficking in Eastern Kentucky,” said Assistant United States Attorney Roger West. “I think that his sentence today shows that not only will users and distributors of prescription pills be punished but key sources of supply such as doctors will also be held accountable.”

West added that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the federal and state authorities are committed to stopping the prescription pipelines that continue to devastate Eastern Kentucky.

Naramore pleaded guilty in November to the charge of conspiracy to distribute methadone and admitted that he distributed approximately 50,000 pills for the duration of the conspiracy.

According to court documents, in 2005 Naramore, a Vermont native, was hired to work at a company called Urgent Care in Cincinnati. The documents also state that the majority of the clinic’s patients were from Eastern Kentucky and each paid Naramore $400 per monthly visit.

Naramore admitted that several of his Kentucky patients were originally patients of Dr. Randy Weiss who worked at the Philadelphia Urgent Care Clinic. Weiss was sentenced in 2009 to 48 months for the same offense.

Approximately 60 patients of Weiss and Naramore have been charged as part of the conspiracy and around 30 of those patients have pleaded guilty. In addition, the Urgent Care president and CEO of the Philadelphia and Cincinnati clinics have been charged as well.

The investigation was conducted by DEA’s Drug Diversion Unit in Cincinnati, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, Kentucky State Police, and the FBI.