Federal prosecutors are suing a Stockton nurse for allegedly selling illegal opioid prescriptions across the country
Joan Rubinger is accused of traveling around the country, selling drugs like Oxycodone and Xanax for cash or through Venmo. Between late 2019 and mid-2024, she reportedly handed out over 900 fake prescriptions after chatting briefly with customers on Telegram.
The lawsuit claims Rubinger offered various services, including prescriptions for controlled substances, without any licensed physician overseeing her practice. She often met clients in places like hotel rooms, lacking the necessary medical tools or records to treat patients properly.
Rubinger would send her clients a menu of addictive drugs for different medical issues. Allegedly, she told them they had to pay upfront for prescriptions, comparing it to buying a burger at McDonald’s. Once they paid, she would issue prescriptions without any medical examination.
To hide the large amounts of drugs she prescribed, Rubinger supposedly wrote prescriptions in the names of friends and family members who didn’t even know about it. Many of her customers reportedly abused the drugs or sold them on the street.
The lawsuit aims to stop Rubinger from prescribing controlled substances and seeks civil penalties for her actions.
