Lexington Doctor, Office Manager Indicted For Money Laundering

LEXINGTON, MA — A Lexington doctor and his office assistant, who happened to be married, were indicted in an international money laundering scheme involving importing illegal drugs.

According to the Department of Justice, Rahim Shafa, and Nahid “Nina” Tormosi Shafa were each indicted on one count of international money laundering conspiracy.

Shafa was also indicted on three counts of money laundering, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, three counts of importing merchandise contrary to law and one count of receiving and delivering misbranded drugs with an intent to defraud and mislead.

According to the indictment, Shafa was a psychiatrist who owned and worked at Novel Psychopharmacology in Milford and Natick and Tormosi Shafa was the office manager. From around January 2008 through January 2018, Shafa and Tormosi Shafa engaged in an international money laundering scheme to buy naltrexone pellet implants, disulfiram pellet implants and disulfiram injections from Hong Kong.

Disulfiram is used to treat alcohol dependence and naltrexone is used to treat alcohol and opioid dependence. The two drugs are approved by the FDA in certain forms; however, the forms of the drugs that Shafa and Tormosi Shafa are accused of buying are not approved by the FDA. Shafa and Tormosi Shafa sold the drugs to patients of Novel, according to the indictment.

The indictment also claims that Shafa was part of a conspiracy to defraud the United States by falsifying shipping documents to make the drug packages coming from Hong Kong to Shafa in Massachusetts look like lawful imports. For example, packages containing naltrexone pellet implants were falsely declared as ‘plastic beads in plastic tubes’ in shipping documents.

“In order to make money, the defendants allegedly circumvented mandatory FDA drug inspections and took advantage of vulnerable patients who sought to escape addiction through legitimate treatment,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

The charges of money laundering and money laundering conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to defraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of importing merchandise contrary to law provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of receiving and delivering a misbranded drug with an intent to defraud and mislead provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.