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NYC DEA Defense Lawyers
NYC DEA Defense Lawyers
DEA agents just showed up at your medical practice in Manhattan at 6 AM with a search warrant. They’re seizing your computers, patient files, prescription pads – everything. Or you’re a pharmacist in Brooklyn who just received an audit notice demanding two years of controlled substance records. Maybe you got a federal target letter after eighteen months of investigation you never knew was happening. Thanks for visiting Spodek Law Group – a second generation law firm with over 50 years of combined experience. Our managing partner, Todd Spodek, has many, many, years of experience defending healthcare providers against DEA investigations and federal drug charges. Todd has represented clients in high-profile cases covered by NY Post, Newsweek, Fox 5, and other major outlets – including Anna Delvey and juror misconduct allegations in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial. When DEA targets you, they’ve already been building their case for months – sometimes years. This is what’s happening. This is why you’re being investigated. This is what we do RIGHT NOW to protect you from federal prison.
They’re Here
Multiple agents. Guns visible. Search warrant.
They’re not just DEA – it’s FBI, IRS, everyone. This isn’t the beginning. They’ve been watching 6-18 months. Your tax returns, bank statements, prescription records – all reviewed. Every patient, every pill, every pharmacy. Grand jury’s been meeting. Subpoenas already out. Now they’re in your office, boxing up everything. Every patient file, every computer, every prescription pad. Your staff is terrified. Patients are calling, appointments need to be cancelled.
Then comes the trap: “Doctor, we just want to ask you a few questions to clear this up.” This is where many healthcare providers destroy themselves. They think they can explain their prescribing practices. They believe honesty will help. Wrong. Every word you say becomes evidence. That patient with chronic pain you helped? They’ll say you enabled addiction. Those compassionate refills during COVID? They’ll call it drug dealing. The Fifth Amendment exists precisely for this moment – when the government’s overwhelming power focuses on you. Don’t explain anything. Don’t justify. Invoke counsel. NOW. The agents will act disappointed, maybe even angry. They’ll say you’re making things worse. Manipulation. They need you to talk. Unlike other law firms who are more focused on their relationship with prosecutors and judges, we tell you the truth: These agents are not your friends. They’re building a case to put you in federal prison.
DEA Targets
In 2025, DEA’s NYC Division has specific targets. Family doctors, internal medicine physicians, pain management specialists – you’re all under scrutiny. The Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York have launched aggressive campaigns against opioid prescribers. Looking for patterns: More oxycodone than average? Patients from other boroughs? Cash payments? Red flags.
What triggers investigations: Insurance companies denying claims and reporting “suspicious” prescription patterns to DEA. Pharmacies filing suspicious activity reports when patients fill multiple controlled substance prescriptions. Medical boards requesting documentation about your prescribing history. Even patients themselves – when arrested with pills, they’re pressured to name their doctor. DEA agents visit pharmacies, pull records, identify doctors with high prescription volumes. You become a target not because you did anything wrong, but because your numbers stand out in their database.
The numbers are devastating. Under 21 U.S.C. § 841, prescribing just 100 grams of substances containing fentanyl triggers a 5-year mandatory minimum. For oxycodone, if they claim you prescribed 200 “unnecessary” prescriptions, you’re facing that same mandatory minimum. In SDNY, prosecutors are particularly aggressive – they’ve secured convictions against doctors with 20+ year sentences. In EDNY, they focus on “pill mill” conspiracies, charging entire medical practices under RICO statutes. The conviction rate? Over 95% if your case goes to trial according to SDNY statistics.
What they won’t tell you: Many investigations start with legitimate prescribing. You treated chronic pain patients when others wouldn’t. You showed compassion during the pandemic. You believed in your patients’ suffering. But DEA doesn’t see medical judgment – they see drug distribution. They don’t understand medicine – they understand prison sentences. This is the administrative state at its worst – non-medical bureaucrats deciding what constitutes proper medical practice, destroying careers with their ignorance. Many, many doctors like you have been destroyed by this system.
Then there’s the timeline. Months 1-18: Silent phase. DEA pulled your PDMP data. Subpoenaed banks. Interviewed patients, pharmacists, other doctors. Grand jury meeting. All while you practiced, unaware.
Day of contact changes everything. Search warrant or audit notice – you’re now a target. DEA registration at immediate risk. Administrative suspension destroys practice overnight. Months 1-6 after contact: critical. More subpoenas. Your lawyer negotiating. Target letter arrives. Panic sets in. Fatal mistakes: destroying records (obstruction), talking to colleagues (witnesses), “cooperating” without immunity. Charging decision: 6-12 months after contact. SDNY indictment? Arrested at 500 Pearl Street. EDNY? Brooklyn federal court. Same humiliation. Bail restrictions. Passport surrender. Media destroys reputation instantly. Practice evaporates. Patients flee. Hospital privileges gone. Insurance panels drop you.
What many, many doctors don’t understand: The timeline is negotiable IF you have experienced federal defense counsel early. Pre-indictment intervention works in approximately 90% of cases when started immediately. But wait until after indictment? Your chances plummet. The government has invested too much to back down. They need convictions to justify their budgets, their task forces, their press conferences about the “opioid epidemic.” We start working immediately – while the government’s case is still developing. Stop you from talking. Control information flow. Every document, every subpoena, every communication through us. Prevents accidental evidence. Pre-indictment advocacy critical. We engage prosecutors before charges. Present your side: chronic pain patients, legitimate medical judgments, clean record.
Negotiate alternatives: civil resolution, voluntary DEA surrender with reapplication ability, deferred prosecution. Many times, no charges at all. Government prefers avoiding expensive trials if they can claim victory another way. If charges likely, we position for safety valve relief under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f). Below mandatory minimums. Ensure qualification: minimal history, no violence, no leadership, full disclosure. Identify cooperation opportunities. First cooperators get greatest benefits. Unlike other law firms who are more focused on their relationship with prosecutors and judges, Spodek Law Group fights aggressively while maintaining strategic negotiations. Todd Spodek, our second-generation attorney, understands both sides – when to fight and when to deal. Time is everything. Government’s been building their case for months or years before you knew. Every day you wait, their advantage grows. Every document without legal review becomes evidence. Every conversation without your lawyer creates witnesses. We’re available 24/7 because DEA doesn’t wait. When they strike, you need immediate protection. The consultation is risk-free, but waiting is not.
888-997-5177.