Russian-US dual citizen, doctor pleads guilty to distributing oxycodone in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — A Russian man formerly of West Virginia has pleaded guilty to unlawful distribution of oxycodone, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The U.S. Marshals Service for the Southern District of West Virginia in April said that Alexander Vladimirovich Otellin, 57, has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Russia. They said they believed Otellin left the U.S. to avoid prosecution on controlled substance charges.

They said at the time that Otellin went to Armenia in September 2023 and was arrested by authorities after they became aware of an active warrant for his arrest. He was brought back to West Virginia on April 20, according to the U.S. Marshals.

The U.S. Department of Justice said this stemmed from the unlawful distribution of oxycodone.

Between February 2014 and July 2020, Otellin distributed controlled substances to a patient while knowing they were getting opiates from another physician, according to the DOJ. They said he didn’t review this patient’s medical history for substance abuse or habits or document a review of a controlled substance database for the first four years.

For around five months, Otellin wrote prescriptions for oxycodone and other controlled substances for the patient without doing evaluations of them, according to the DOJ.

They said in July 2017, he distributed oxycodone to the patient at his psychiatry practice in South Charleston. He admitted in court that he did this without a legitimate medical purpose, according to the DOJ.

Otellin is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 9, 2025, and faces 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. He has also surrendered his medical license, the DOJ said in a press release.

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