A Jonesboro psychiatrist gained access Tuesday to his practice’s recently-seized medical records which will help him build a case to defend himself against allegations that he over-prescribed medications that ultimately led to the death of dozens of his patients.
Dr. Narendra Nagareddy is facing one felony charge of illegally distributing or dispensing a controlled substance. He was arrested Jan. 14 and released a day later on $100,000 bond on the condition he does not practice or prescribe medicine. District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson has said more charges are likely once he's indicted. Lawson said authorities suspected Nagareddy over prescribed pain meds to 36 patients who died. According to the autopsies on 12, they all died of drug overdoses, according to the search warrant. (See Georgia map of overdose deaths by county.)
On Tuesday, Nagareddy appeared before Superior Court Judge Geronda Carter in hearing on a civil forefeiture matter - a new and as-yet unexplored law in Georgia.
During the Jan. 14, raid, authorities closed Nagareddy’s Jonesboro office, seized his medical files as well as his home, 2008 Mercedes Benz and other assets, using a new state civil forfeiture law. The law, which is akin to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations or RICO Act, enables authorities to seize assets they believe were gained through the commission of illegal activities.
“We’re all in unchartered territory,” Nagareddy’s attorney Tony Cochran told the court Tuesday, referring to the Georgia Uniform Civil Forfeiture Procedure Act effective last July. Cochran, an Atlanta attorney, recently joined Nagareddy’s defense team. He specializes in white-collar crime and civil forfeitures and has defended physicians facing similar situations, said Steve Frey, another Nagareddy attorney.
INTERACTIVES: LEARN MORE ON THIS SUBJECT
» Chart: Nagareddy doled out more pills than other Georgia psychiatrists
» Map: Georgia drug deaths by county: 2014
» Document: Read the search warrant
Under Tuesday’s deal, Nagareddy will get supervised access to his medical files and be able to to continue to live in his McDonough home with his family.
Tuesday’s deals gives Nagareddy’s defense team time to sort things out and go through the discovery phase. Nagareddy, who was accompanied to court by family members, sat stoicly as his attorneys and attorneys with the Clayton County District attorney’s office worked out an agreement involving some of the seized items, notably thousands of medical records that will likely be used to build his defense.
“Everybody’s got a lot to figure out,” Cochran said.
An Atlanta Journal Constitution investigation found that authorities missed years of warnings about Nagareddy and that safeguards designed to protect the public didn't stop the psychiatrist from writing excessive amounts of prescriptions. Public data shows that in 2013, the Medicare Part D program received more claims from his patients for two highly addictive drugs — alprazolam and clonazepam — than those of any other Georgia psychiatrist.
Even with those numbers of written prescriptions, Cochran told the court Tuesday, “that the percentage of Dr. Nagareddy’s practice that involved prescribing controlled substances for pain was a very small percentage - perhaps less than five percent.”
Cochran also addressed authorities’ allegations that Nagareddy was “routinely prescribing narcotic controlled substances for no legitimate medical reason.”
“They have no doctor qualified to opine that what Dr. Nagareddy did or didn’t do fell below the standard of care.”
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