An Oakton doctor pled guilty Jan. 15 to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and amphetamines, maintaining drug premises, and false statements relating to health care matters, said United States Attorney Jessica D. Aber, Eastern District of Virginia in a release, which included the following details:
According to court documents, Virginia pharmacies filled approximately 7,330 prescriptions for oxycodone prescribed by Allingham, totaling approximately 405,164 pills. Multiple of Allingham’s patients died of drug overdoses within hours, days, or weeks of receiving an oxycodone prescription from Allingham.
According to court documents, David Allingham, 64, was the owner of and sole medically licensed practitioner at Oakton Primacy Care Center, an urgent care center. Between at least April 2019 and January 2024, Allingham wrote prescriptions for opioids and amphetamines for numerous patients without properly assessing the individual needs of those patients. These actions were outside the usual course of professional practice and regulations and without legitimate medical purpose. During that time, Virginia pharmacies filled approximately 7,330 prescriptions for oxycodone prescribed by Allingham, totaling approximately 405,164 pills.
All of Allingham’s patients were instructed to pay out of pocket for office visits at Allingham’s practice, which cost $300-$550 per patient, typically paid via cash, credit card, or Venmo. An extra $700 was required if the patient wanted a doctor’s letter. Allingham required his chronic pain patients to pay for an office visit at least every 21 days, though he allowed a significant number of these “office visits” to be conducted via a phone call to employees who were not medically trained. Allingham authorized renewals of medication without physically examining patients or without medical indication other than the uncorroborated information the patients provided.
Multiple pharmacies investigated Allingham’s opioid prescribing practices and thereafter refused to fill prescriptions for controlled substances issued by Allingham. After a national pharmacy chain informed Allingham that its stores would no longer fill prescriptions written by him, Allingham instructed his employees to phase out all brand pharmacies in favor of “mom and pop” pharmacies to avoid further scrutiny of his patients and so he could continue to prescribe high-dose opioids for them.
Allingham authorized and directed untrained medical staff to issue prescriptions for controlled substances for his patients in his absence and without a proper medical exam. Allingham directed untrained staff to issue his prescriptions for opioids or amphetamines on at least 487 occasions, generating at least $168,000 in proceeds.
Allingham typically required a urine drug screen at each in office appointment but failed to act on them in a medically appropriate way. Allingham consistently excused or ignored failed urine drug screens, which were then withheld from patient files or falsely documented in his medical records. One patient failed 40 drug tests between 2019 and 2023. Allingham’s medical record falsely documented that the patient had tested positive for cocaine in his urine merely from handling currency contaminated with cocaine residue. Allingham nevertheless continued to prescribe oxycodone to the patient.
Allingham also prescribed amphetamines to multiple chronic pain patients to assist them in weight loss in a way that was against regulations. Allingham prescribed amphetamines for weight loss purposes regardless of whether the patient was obese. Allingham distributed at least 527 prescriptions for amphetamines for this purpose, totaling over 13,500 pills.
Allingham also unlawfully used and directed his employees to use another doctor’s identity without authorization to prescribe medications for himself and his family. Allingham instructed his employees to provide the Oakton Primacy Care Center phone number for prescriptions purportedly written by that doctor and directed them how to respond if pharmacists called inquiring about the prescriptions, because at that time the doctor was not an employee of Oakton Primacy Care Center.
Multiple of Allingham’s patients died of drug overdoses within hours, days, or weeks of receiving an oxycodone prescription from Allingham.
In July 2023, law enforcement conducted a search of Allingham’s residence and medical practice. When interviewed by law enforcement, Allingham made false statements regarding his prescribing practices and directed at least one of his employees to delete records of her text message communications with him.
Allingham is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30 and faces up to 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.