Doctor, assistant plead guilty to distributing opioids

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A prosecutor says an eastern Kentucky doctor and his assistant wife have pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawfully distributing opioids. U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan Jr. said in a statement on Monday that 48-year-old Scotty Akers and 33-year-old Serissa Akers admitted to using Facebook messenger to sell unnecessary prescriptions. The statement said Serissa Akers exchanged prescriptions written by her husband for cash in parking lots around Pikeville. Officials say the defendants did not perform physical exams or keep records on patients. Sentencing was set for November 20.