Juan Pillot-Costas, M.D. Revocation of Registration

On February 20, 2004, the Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Diversion Control, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), issued an Order to Show Cause to Juan Pillot-Costas, M.D. (Respondent) of Ponce, Puerto Rico, notifying him of an opportunity to show cause as to why DEA should not revoke his DEA Certificate of Registration BP3441475, as a practitioner, under 21 U.S.C. 824(a)(5) and deny any pending applications for renewal or modification of that registration. As a basis for revocation, the Order to Show Cause alleged that Respondent had been mandatorily excluded from participating in Federal health programs pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1320-7(a).

By letter dated March 18, 2004, Respondent, through legal counsel, requested a hearing. On April 20, 2004, Administrative Law Judge Gail A. Randall (Judge Randall) issued an Order for Prehearing Statements, requiring the Government and Respondent to file prehearing statements by May 12 and June 2, 2004, respectively. The Government filed a timely prehearing statement, however, Respondent failed to file his prehearing statement by the deadline.

On June 29, 2004, Judge Randall issued a sua sponte Notice and Order to Respondent allowing him a limited extension of time, until July 21, 2004, to file his prehearing statement. The Notice and Order cautioned Respondent that if he failed to meet this deadline, Judge Randall would deem his inactivity to be a waiver of his hearing entitlement and that she would issue an order terminating the case. Respondent did not file a prehearing statement and on August 10, 2004, Judge Randall issued her Order terminating the proceedings. On August 26, 2004, the Office of Chief Counsel forwarded the record to the Deputy Administrator for entry of a final order based on the investigative file.

Therefore, the Deputy Administrator finds that Respondent, having requested a hearing but having failed to participate in the matter after being apprised of the consequences, is deemed to have waived his hearing right. See Bill Lloyd Drug, 64 FR 1823-01 (1999); Vincent A. Piccone, M.D., 62 FR 62074 (1997). After considering material from the investigative file, the Deputy Administrator now enters her final order without a hearing pursuant to 21 CFR 1301.43(d) and (e) and 1301.46.

The Deputy Administrator finds that Respondent currently possesses DEA Certificate of Registration BP3441475. The Deputy Administrator further finds that as a result of Respondent's fraudulent activities, pursuant to his guilty plea, he was convicted in the United States District Court, District of Puerto Rico of one count of conspiring to solicit and receive kickbacks in relation to Medicare referrals for durable medical equipment, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371, in addition to one count of providing false declarations before the grand jury, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1623.

As a result of Respondent's conviction of the Medicare related count, on March 31, 2003, he was notified by the Department of Health and Human Services of his five-year mandatory exclusion from participation in the Medicare program pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7(a). Exclusion from Medicare is an independent ground for revoking a DEA registration. 21 U.S.C. 824(a)(5); see Johnnie Melvin Turner, M.D., 67 FR 71203 (2002). The underlying conviction forming the basis for a registrant's exclusion from participating in federal health care programs need not involve controlled substances for revocation under 21 U.S.C. 824(a)(5). See KK Pharmacy, 64 FR 49507 (1999); Stanley Dubin, D.D.S., 61 FR 60727 (1996).

Accordingly, the Deputy Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, pursuant to the authority vested in her by 21 U.S.C. 823 and 824 and 28 CFR 0.100(b) and 0.104, hereby orders that DEA Certificate of Registration BP3441475, issued to Juan Pillot-Costas, M.D., be, and it hereby is, revoked. The Deputy Administrator further orders that any pending applications for renewal of such registration be, and they hereby are, denied. This order is effective November 22, 2004.