Former Island Psychiatrist Sentenced To Four Years Probation

Mohamad Och, a former island psychiatrist, was sentenced to four years of probation in federal court in Boston on Thursday for illegally prescribing controlled substances. He was arrested in July of 2021 and convicted by a federal jury on three counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance in November of 2023 following an 11-day trial.

“Och repeatedly prescribed a combination of benzodiazepines and stimulants outside of the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose,” the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, said in a press release Thursday afternoon. “Specifically, on multiple occasions between August 2016 and February 2017, Och knowingly issued prescriptions for Adderall (a Schedule II amphetamine) and Xanax (a Schedule IV benzodiazepine) to undercover federal agents. Evidence at trial showed that amphetamines have a high potential for abuse and present serious cardiovascular risks. Evidence also showed the risks presented by mixing Xanax, a depressant, with a stimulant like Adderall.”

Och’s sentencing was originally scheduled for Feb. 16, 2024, but experienced several delays. On Thursday, Och, 69, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman. In addition to the four years of probation, he was also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.

Och was a visiting licensed psychiatrist at Nantucket Cottage Hospital for years, seeing island patients at the Prospect Street campus as a member of its medical staff. He also owned and operated Island Counseling Center (ICC), which is located in Worcester, Massachusetts. Och was authorized to prescribe Schedule II-IV controlled substances to patients.

“Och prescribed such highly-addictive medications without doing proper psychiatric examinations, without obtaining prior medical records, and without administering diagnostic tests (including urinalyses or blood tests) – even when faced with facts that the undercover patients may have been participating in drug diversion,” the attorney’s office said. “Furthermore, the defendant did not discuss or review medication side effects, their conditions’ symptoms, or the risks and benefits of taking drugs like Adderall and Xanax with the undercover agents – despite documenting in medical records that he had done so. “

The charge of illegal prescription of a Schedule II controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $1 million. The charge of illegal prescription of a Schedule IV controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $1 million.