A doctor whose Fairhope office was raided by federal agents last year in connection with alleged illegal dealing of pills was again visited by law enforcement today and arrested.
Photo/Mobile County Jail
Fairhope Dr. Joseph Ndolo
was arrested by federal
agents Thursday afternoon
at his office.
Joseph Mwau Ndolo, 60, was arrested Thursday afternoon around 2 p.m. according to Tommy Loftis, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Mobile. Loftus would not say what Ndolo was charged with, but said he would be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. Friday in U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Nelson’s Courtroom.
At the same time, the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners also moved to summarily suspend Ndolo’s controlled substances certificate. He has a hearing scheduled before the board on July 16.
“The board felt there was probable cause he was prescribing for no legitimate purpose,” Trish Shaner, general counsel for the ABME said.
Shaner said the board, which is made up of medical practitioners, has investigators who presented findings about Ndolo to its members. She said the amount of medication being dispensed appears to have been an issue.
Shanner referenced Alabama Code 20-2-54 (A5), which states a controlled substances license may be revoked or suspended by the certifying boards upon a finding that the registrant excessively dispensed controlled substances.
The Lagniappe staff called Ndolo’s office, Premier Internal Medicine, shortly after 1 p.m. and business was being conducted as usual.
However, upon visiting the office in Fairhope later that afternoon, a sign was posted reading “closed until further notice” and the facility was locked. Ndolo’s office was raided in April of last year when a former employee of Ndolo’s, Madonna Lynette Reed, was arrested for selling prescription painkillers.
Reed pled guilty in July of 2013 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a Schedule III controlled substance. According to police reports, Ndolo had regularly prescribed Reed with hydrocodone pills for back pain, but was not charged with a crime during the incident.
Ndolo does have two prior arrests in Baldwin County including 2006 charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was also charged with second-degree rape 2004, but those charges were dropped when the victim recanted the story.
Lagniappe will have more on this story as it develops.
