
The United States Justice Department has taken legal action against Joan Rubinger, a nurse practitioner based in Stockton, accusing her of orchestrating a nationwide scheme to illegally distribute opioid prescriptions in exchange for cash. The complaint, following an investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, seeks to forbid Rubinger from prescribing controlled substances and demands civil penalties for her alleged contribution to the opioid crisis, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.
Between November 1, 2019, and June 17, 2024, Rubinger is claimed to have traveled frequently, delivering services that ranged from IV flushes to illegally prescribed medications. Allegedly operating without supervision from a licensed physician, she is accused of meeting clients in locations such as hotel rooms—spaces ill-equipped for legitimate medical procedures. The complaint details that Rubinger's unconventional practice consisted of her, a personal assistant, and a billing manager and managed to conceal her actions while attempting to appear legitimate to the DEA.
Documents from the court reveal that Rubinger would interact with customers through encrypted text messages on Telegram, where she provided price lists and allowed them to select prescriptions from a menu of highly addictive substances, such as Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and Adderall. Customers reportedly paid Rubinger upfront before receiving prescriptions, akin to a fast-food transaction, an analogy she made in guidelines she called "THE RULES" as stated in the complaint, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Rubinger reportedly advised her customers on how to avoid DEA scrutiny, even providing new clients with a document to help them appear as legitimate medical patients. The complaint further alleges Rubinger wrote prescriptions in the names of the customers' friends and family—many without their consent—for purposes of obscuring the large quantities of drugs she prescribed, which, in some cases, were then diverted for street resale.
The case reflects the government's ongoing commitment to tackle opioid abuse, a scourge that has ravaged communities across the nation. The public is encouraged to report any tips and complaints to the DEA. United States v. Rubinger, 2:25-cv-00091-DAD-JDP, has not yet seen a determination of liability, as the allegations remain unproven in court. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Tennyson is representing the government in this ongoing litigation.