CINCINNATI (AP) — Federal authorities said Wednesday they have charged 60 people, including a doctor accused of trading drugs for sex and another of prescribing to his Facebook friends, for their roles in illegally prescribing and distributing millions of pills containing opioids and other drugs.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman of Cincinnati described the action, with 31 doctors facing charges, as the biggest known takedown yet of drug prescribers. Robert Duncan, U.S. attorney for eastern Kentucky, called the doctors involved "white-coated drug dealers."


Authorities said arrests were being made and search warrants carried out as they announced the charges at a news conference. They didn't immediately name those being charged.


Among those charged was a Tennessee nurse practitioner who dubbed himself the "Rock Doc" and is accused of prescribing dangerous combinations of drugs such as fentanyl and oxycodone, authorities said.

An indictment states that Jeff Young operated a clinic in Jackson, Tennessee, and promoted his practice with the motto "work hard, play harder." The indictment states he prescribed drugs that were highly addictive and at high risk of abuse as he tried to promote a "Rock Doc" reality TV pilot and podcast while obtaining sex and money for prescriptions.

A message seeking comment was left Wednesday for his attorney.

Another western Tennessee doctor is also accused of often trading drug prescriptions for sex.

Others charged include a Kentucky doctor who is accused of writing prescriptions to Facebook friends who came to his home to pick them up, another who allegedly left signed blank prescriptions for staff to fill out and give to patients, and a Kentucky dentist accused of removing teeth unnecessarily and scheduling unneeded follow-up appointments.





This story has been corrected to show that the so-called "Rock Doc" is a nurse practitioner, not doctor.


Associated Press journalist John Minchillo contributed to this report.


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