A doctor operating out of a Potomac urgent care center allegedly prescribed thousands of Adderall pills without a medical reason, according to an indictment made public Thursday.
Dr. William Samuel Vaughn III, who goes by the nickname Skip, was arrested Thursday, according to a U.S. Justice Department press release. A 66-count indictment accused him of illegally prescribing Adderall to four people from January 2014 to June 2017.
The indictment lists dozens of instances when Vaughn allegedly prescribed either 30 or 60 pills of 20 mg or 30 mg Adderall “outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.”
In total, the prescriptions add up to 3,210 pills.
An amphetamine, Adderall is often used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, narcolepsy and other disorders, though it is also taken as a recreational drug.
Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger wrote in a statement that the indictment should “serve notice” that law enforcement officers will “aggressively pursue anyone, including a doctor, who is involved in the illegal distribution of drugs in our community.”
“Any physician who ignores the health and wellbeing of his patients and illegally prescribes narcotics to members of our community who are struggling with addiction is no better than a drug dealer selling from a street corner,” he wrote.
Gordon B. Johnson, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, also condemned Vaughn, writing in a statement that the allegations against him show his “lack of concern for the true health of his patients.”
Vaughn, 62, lives in Largo, but practiced in Potomac. The indictment did not specify the address of the urgent care center where he worked.
Montgomery County police said they were not able to comment further on the case, and the FBI office in Baltimore could not be reached for comment on Thursday afternoon.
Vaughn’s number was not listed in online directories.
Vaughn faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to a lifetime of supervised release.