A Jacksonville nurse practitioner who wrote opioid and stimulant prescriptions for an undercover federal agent is now staring at a possible 20-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to unlawfully distributing controlled substances, according to prosecutors.
Federal court records show that Kenyatta Dacres, 45, admitted in a Jacksonville courtroom to illegally distributing controlled substances after signing off on prescriptions for painkillers and ADHD medication with no documented medical basis. Prosecutors say the undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent saw Dacres on three separate occasions and walked away with increasingly strong Lortab (hydrocodone) prescriptions and Adderall (amphetamine) tablets, even after denying any history or diagnosis that would support the meds, WFTV reported.
The plea sets up a federal sentencing hearing that could send Dacres to prison and likely puts her state license under the microscope.
State licensing files list Kenyatta Nakia Dacres as an advanced practice registered nurse in Florida with an active APRN credential and a public practitioner profile on record. The Florida Department of Health website posts her license status, contact details and practice locations as part of the state’s public practitioner database.
What prosecutors say
According to court filings, a physician who reviewed the investigation concluded that the prescriptions written for the undercover agent were issued without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice, WFTV reported.
Those same documents say the undercover agent had recently been arrested for methamphetamine possession and explicitly denied symptoms or diagnoses that would normally justify opioid or stimulant prescriptions. Despite that, prosecutors say, Dacres still provided Lortab and Adderall on three visits, with the painkiller dosage ticking upward over time.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelli Swaney is handling the prosecution.
Federal crackdown on prescription diversion
Federal agencies have been leaning harder on prescribers and clinics suspected of feeding diversion and illegal drug markets. The Drug Enforcement Administration has flagged the continued misuse of both prescription opioids and stimulants in its national threat assessments, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida has brought a string of drug prosecutions in Jacksonville and the surrounding region.
Cases involving medical professionals have become a regular part of that broader federal push, with investigators increasingly zeroing in on how powerful medications move from exam rooms into illegal circulation.
Licensing fallout and what comes next
Dacres’ guilty plea is almost certain to attract attention from state regulators. Under Florida law, the Department of Health can open investigations and pursue disciplinary action against licensed practitioners who violate state statutes or professional rules.
The Florida Department of Health explains how administrative complaints, investigations and sanctions are handled and then posted to a provider’s public record. The Florida Senate details the legal grounds and procedures for discipline, including the range of penalties that can follow a criminal conviction.
If a formal administrative complaint is filed, Dacres would be entitled to due process under state procedures, including hearings before any final action on her license.
For now, the case heads to federal sentencing, where a judge will decide how much prison time Dacres will serve and, indirectly, how severe the fallout will be for her ability to practice in Florida. It is a pointed reminder to clinicians that crossing the line on controlled-substance prescribing can have consequences far beyond the exam room.
