Dayton doctor sentenced to 2 years in prison for opioid distribution ring

Dr. Morris Brown pictured at the 2007 Dayton Urban League Gala in the Dayton Art Institute. Brown was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in an opioid ring, according to federal officials. PETER WINE PHOTO

Dr. Morris Brown pictured at the 2007 Dayton Urban League Gala in the Dayton Art Institute. Brown was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in an opioid ring, according to federal officials. PETER WINE PHOTO

A Dayton doctor who federal authorities once said dispensed 1.75 million pills over a two-year period was sentenced to two years in prison in connection to an opioid ring.

Morris Brown, 73, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances on Feb. 21, 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to a federal indictment, Brown continued to prescribe opioids “even after learning that some of his patients had experienced overdoses, and in some cases, deaths.”

When he pleaded guilty last year, Brown admitted to prescribing controlled substances even after “red flags” suggested he should stop writing those prescriptions for patients. He also admitted to prescribing a dangerous combination of drugs, according to the Department of Justice.

He was charged in April 2019 with four others: Ismail Abuhanieh, 50, of Phoenix, Arizona; Mahmoud Elmiari, 44, of Bellbrook; Yohannes Tinsae, 48, of Beavercreek; and Mahmoud Rifai, 50, of Detroit, Michigan. Abuhanieh, Elmiari and Tinsae have been sentenced and a warrant has been issued for Rifai’s arrest, according to the Department of Justice.

Brown owned Dayton Primary and Urgent Care Center Inc. on West First Street in Dayton. He also owned the space leased to Dayton Pharmacy, which Abuhanieh, Elmiari, Tinsae and Rifai helped operate.

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