PORTLAND – Kennebunk physician Merideth C. Norris has been released on $10,000 unsecured bond and is prohibited from prescribing certain controlled substances following an appearance at U.S District Court in Portland on Wednesday, Oct. 26, on charges she illegally prescribed them.
Norris is charged with 10 criminal counts alleging she illegally distributed opioids and other federally regulated substances.
A federal Grand Jury handed up the indictments on Oct. 20. Norris, 52, who operates a practice in Kennebunk, was arrested on a warrant Oct. 26 and later that day appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torreson, according to documents on file at the federal court.
The indictments allege Norris prescribed opioids and other controlled substances “outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose,” according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
According to the federal indictment, Norris, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, prescribed oxycodone, dextroamphetamine-amphetamine and clonazepam to an individual described as Patient A on Dec 23, 2021; oxycodone to Patient B on four occasions from Feb. 25 to May 23, 2022, and diazepam, hydromorphone and methadone to Patient C on June 16, 17 and 21, respectively – each, the indictments allege, in violation of federal law.
Norris, according to the news release, was the first to be arrested and charged by the New England Prescription Opioid Strike Force, an entity launched this summer to combat unlawful prescribing amid the continuing opioid epidemic.
If convicted, Norris faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine on the most serious counts. She faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted on the other charges.
Norris, according to her LinkedIn account, is the owner and practitioner of Graceful Recovery, treating those recovering from pain, addiction and obesity, using “osteopathy, pharmacology, and empathy.” The LinkedIn biography goes on to say she is certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine, the American Board of Addiction Medicine, and the American Board of Osteopathic Family Physicians.
A message on Graceful Recovery’s office phone on Oct. 27 said the practice was temporarily closed.
The Department of Justice news release said Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Kilby Macfadden and trial attorneys Patrick Queenan and Thomas Campbell of the fraud section of the criminal division are prosecuting the case.
Norris was represented Oct. 26 by attorney David R. Beneman of the Federal Defenders Office. Court documents say it is anticipated she will retain counsel.
“Our office does not comment on pending cases,” said Benemen in an email.
An indictment is an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Judge Torreson set a Dec. 5 trial date on the charges.
The New England Prescription Opioid Strike Force operates as a partnership between prosecutors and data analysts of the Criminal Division, prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, and special agents and investigators with The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, U.S Drug Enforcement Agency, FBI, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies, including the State Medicaid Fraud Control Units.
The mission of the NEPO Strike Force is to identify and investigate health care fraud schemes in the New England region, according to the news release, and to prosecute individuals involved in the illegal distribution of prescription opioids and other prescribed controlled substances.
In Maine, those seeking treatment and their families may to go to https://knowyouroptions.me, an initiative of the Maine Office of Behavioral Health and other state agencies designed to improve the health of Mainers using substances through harm reduction strategies, helping them on the road to recovery, and reducing the number of fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses. Those struggling with opiate addiction are encouraged to contact 211 to receive help and find information about local treatment programs.
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