Great Neck doctor charged with operating 'pill mill' for illegally prescribed oxycodone
Dr. Roya Jafari-Hassad walks from the federal courthouse in Central Islip after her arraignment Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
A Great Neck doctor traded monthly illegal painkiller prescriptions for cash and later tried to intimidate two grand jury witnesses into altering their testimony against her, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court.
Dr. Roya Jafari-Hassad, 56, of Bayside, pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of illegal distribution of oxycodone and a charge of witness tampering at her arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Tiscione at Eastern District Court in Central Islip Wednesday.
An 18-month Drug Enforcement Administration investigation, which included the use of an undercover agent posing as a patient, revealed Jafari-Hassad made “hundreds of thousands of dollars a year cash” from the scheme to distribute the highly addictive opioid, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
“[Jafari-Hassad] abandoned her medical oath to operate a pill mill in Nassau County, illegally dispensing oxycodone to patients for a cash fee,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.
The indictment relates specifically to 15 visits by two patients who were allegedly prescribed more than 1,000 pills by Jafari-Hassad, a general practitioner, between August 2020 and January 2022, court records show.
Prosecutors said the prescriptions were issued with “no legitimate purpose” and the cash payments were often in addition to other charges billed to the patient’s insurance.
The undercover agent was able to secure an oxycodone prescription at each visit, including an initial appointment, despite having no medical reason for the drug, according to a news release.
“A prescription pad in the wrong hands can be a deadly weapon,” DEA special agent in charge Frank Tarentino said in a statement. “The diversion of prescription medication is inexcusable for medical professionals.”
Prosecutors also said that after a search warrant was executed at her practice, Jafari-Hassad contacted two patients scheduled to testify in the grand jury, asking them to alter their testimony.
Jafari-Hassad’s defense attorney, Bruce Barket of Garden City, said the charges against his client are “allegations and not proven facts.”
“We look forward to examining the evidence in the case and mounting a full and vigorous defense for her,” he said. “She is an excellent doctor who has done great work.”
Barket said his client emigrated from Iran to the United States to practice medicine, opening her Bond Street practice 20 years ago.
Jafari-Hassad was released on $500,000 bail Wednesday and ordered to surrender her DEA registration to issue prescriptions for controlled substances.
Barket said Jafari-Hassad's medical practice will remain open.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
