PENSACOLA — A Pensacola Beach physician faces 41 federal counts for allegedly prescribing at least 25,500 controlled substance pills — including more than 22,000 opioid pills and over 3,000 stimulant pills — without a legitimate medical purpose, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced as part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
Dr. Edward Scott Morrison, 58, was charged by indictment with distributing and dispensing controlled substances including oxycodone, hydrocodone, amphetamine, lisdexamfetamine, methylphenidate, testosterone, alprazolam and diazepam. According to court documents, Morrison wrote and distributed prescriptions without conducting physical examinations, without reviewing historical medical and prescribing records, and without creating or maintaining any records of encounters with patients.
“I am proud to contribute to the success of the National Health Care Fraud Takedown again this year,” U.S. Attorney Heekin said. “Dispensing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose not only violates federal law, it endangers the lives of the recipients of those powerful drugs. As our country and our state continue to deal with the devastating impacts of the opioid epidemic, it remains vitally important for my office to crack down on fraudulent prescribing practices by medical professionals.”
The indictment alleges Morrison issued controlled substance prescriptions to individuals simply upon their request or the request of a third party in whatever type, dosage and quantity desired without evaluating the recipient to determine a legitimate medical purpose or need. If convicted, Morrison faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment on each of the 41 counts. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Forbes is prosecuting the case.
Morrison’s indictment is part of a nationwide enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims. The takedown spanned 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating — the most in Department of Justice history.
The coordinated operation also yielded the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry and other assets. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services suspended 1,079 providers and revoked billing privileges for 1,403 providers. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General pursued 25 actions under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund. The Drug Enforcement Administration has pursued 928 administrative cases seeking revocation of authority to handle or prescribe controlled substances since Oct. 1, 2025.
The Northern District of Florida case was investigated in coordination with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit. Morrison’s initial appearance in federal court in Pensacola has not yet been publicly scheduled.