Joseph Kirkwood, DDS, has agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve allegations that he forged and issued illegitimate prescriptions for narcotics, according to a Dec. 8 news release from the U.S. Justice Department.
As part of the settlement, Dr. Kirkwood, a dentist in Grand Rapids, Mich., surrendered his Drug Enforcement Administration registration that authorized him to write prescriptions for controlled substances and said he wouldn't reapply for a new registration for four years.
The settlement resolves allegations that the dentist wrote illegitimate prescriptions for controlled substances for other individuals and then collected the drugs for personal use. It also resolves allegations that Dr. Kirkwood forged prescriptions using the signatures and DEA registration numbers of two other dentists, also for the purpose of collecting the drugs for himself.