DOJ accuses San Jose doctor of forging, abusing opioid prescriptions

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The California Department of Justice arrested and charged a South Bay radiologist with conspiring with a network of phony patients to write illegal prescriptions — in some cases forging another doctor’s signature — to illegally obtain thousands of opioid painkillers.

Dr. Arash Padidar, who works at a surgical practice in San Jose, was arrested and booked at the Santa Clara County Main Jail on Friday, with his initial bail set at $100,000.

Padidar was charged with seven drug-related felonies, including issuing a prescription without a legitimate medical reason, obtaining controlled substances through deception and fraud, forging and issuing a prescription, unlawful use of personal identifying information, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Each count carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

“Doctors are entrusted with the immense responsibility of protecting our health and lives,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “When a bad actor uses their position for personal gain, they not only undermine our trust, but they also endanger vulnerable patients.”

Padidar’s arraignment was scheduled for Friday in a San Jose courtroom, but it was pushed back to Monday because his jail processing was not completed in time for him to appear in court.

Minimally Invasive Surgical Solutions, where Padidar worked, did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. According to the DOJ’s criminal complaint, it is unclear whether the doctor whose signature Padidar is accused of forging works at the same practice. Padidar is also a member of the San Jose Physicians Medical Group.

According to the DOJ’s Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse, the doctor wrote nearly two dozen illegitimate prescriptions for Norco, a brand name for hydrocodone pain medication, between October 2018 and October 2020.

Padidar allegedly prescribed 2,350 Norco pills to more than a half-dozen people, including his wife and father, with the understanding that he would receive some or all of the drugs, according to Deputy Attorney General Amy Bellah, who wrote the criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, one of those recipients was a former Padidar employee who tipped off San Jose police and the Drug Enforcement Administration to the alleged drug scheme after she was fired in July 2019.

The complaint cites text messages and emails between Padidar and people he tapped to obtain the prescriptions, the names of whom are redacted in the public court document, in which they use coded language such as “tickets” to discuss prescription pickups at several South Bay pharmacies in San Jose, Campbell, and Los Gatos.

The majority of the prescriptions were for 100 pills, and Bellah stated that Padidar kept a running log on an iPhone notetaking app. The complaint describes how the co-conspirators would often drop off some, if not all, of the pills to Padidar, though it’s unclear whether this occurred at his office, his home, or another location.

To this point in the case, no one else has been charged, and the complaint makes it clear that at least some of those involved were aware that what they were doing was illegal. The document contains an email excerpt in which Padidar is allegedly asked, “For the future, please do not include my name on the prescription.” I don’t mind picking it up when necessary, but because it’s a controlled substance, I prefer not to have it under my name.”

The alleged scheme was brought to the attention of authorities after a fired employee who carried out some of the phony prescriptions whistleblowed Padidar. According to the complaint, the alleged crimes would not have been discovered otherwise.

“He fraudulently obtained the medication and concealed his activities from law enforcement by spreading the prescriptions in the names of various individuals and even using another doctor’s prescribing information,” Bellah wrote.