Indio doctor with clinic in Lynwood sentenced to 60 months in federal prison
An Indio doctor with a medical clinic in Lynwood has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for illegally issuing prescriptions for powerful narcotics and sedatives without a medical purpose, mostly for “young patients” who paid money, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Dr. Edward Ridgill, 65, of Indio was found guilty in December of 26 felony counts of illegally distributing controlled substances. During last year’s trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Ridgill illegally prescribed the opioid painkiller hydrocodone, which is often sold under the brand name Norco; alprazolam, best known by the brand name Xanax; and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxer often sold under the brand name Soma.
According to a news release by the DOJ, in 2014 alone, Ridgill wrote nearly 9,000 prescriptions, and the vast majority of those prescriptions were for hydrocodone, alprazolam, and carisoprodol, typically for the maximum strength. That same year, Ridgill physically deposited more than $175,000 in cash.
Young patients traveled from places as far away as Victorville, Palmdale, and Desert Hot Springs to Ridgill’s Lynwood clinic in order to obtain prescriptions from Ridgil, allowing him to work just three hours a day at his Lynwood office in exchange for significant amounts of cash, according to a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors.
Authorities executed federal search warrants on Ridgill’s residences and medical office in March 2015. They were able to recover multiple pre-written prescriptions for controlled substances, as well as cash lining patient files and stuffed in the drawers containing those files, which prosecutors argued demonstrated that Ridgill operated a cash-for-drugs business.
The investigation into Ridgill was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad, HIDTA (the Los Angeles High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area), the Los Angeles Police Department, the Torrance Police Department and IRS Criminal Investigation.
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