Feds Charge Monmouth County Doctor With Illegal Prescription Drug Distribution

Martin Fried

Martin Fried, a pediatric gastroenterologist in Ocean Township is scheduled to appear in federal court in Newark this afternoon on charges of attempting to distribute oxycodone and distribution of Adderall and Xanax outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court Fried owned and was the sole practitioner at a medical practice, Healthy Days LLC, at 3300 Sunset Ave, specializing in pediatric gastroenterology, and touting specialties in “nutrition,” “Lyme disease and co-infection,” and “genetic/DNA testing.”

On July 20, 2018, Fried accompanied two men – referred to in the complaint as “Individual-1” and “Individual-2” – to two pharmacies in the area of Toms River, New Jersey, to obtain oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance; Adderall, a Schedule II controlled substance; and alprazolam, a Schedule IV controlled substance, using prescriptions Fried had written. When the first pharmacy refused to fill the prescriptions, Fried and the two men went to a second pharmacy. Fried prescribed the controlled substances to Individual-1 and Individual-2 outside the usual course of professional practice and with no legitimate medical purpose.

Two days earlier, Fried had accompanied the same two men to another pharmacy obtain Adderall, Xanax, and gabapentin, using prescriptions he had written. Based on Fried’s prescriptions, Individual-1 obtained approximately 120 tablets of Adderall, 90 tablets of Xanax, and 120 tablets of gabapentin (a drug commonly abused with opioids because it enhances the euphoria caused by the opioid). The drugs were prescribed by Fried outside the usual course of professional practice and with no legitimate medical purpose.

On July 31, 2018, Fried surrendered to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration his DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances. In a consent order with the N.J. Board of Medical Examiners filed in September, Fried agreed to an indefinite suspension of his medical license, pending a future demonstration of his fitness to practice, and further action by the Board.

Each count of the complaint is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater.

Fried announced on his personal facebook page that he is retired from medicine and is now selling art and doing comedy.

On his business page, Fried announced that he retired from medicine, that he published book on amazon, that he is bi-polar and when thrown out of his synagogue after making a $60,000 donation.

His comedy is pretty bad.