IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. – A 27-year-old man is facing charges after being accused of giving out prescription drugs illegally while claiming to be a physician.

In the complaint from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, it says between August 2023 and April 2025, Kevin Whitman was claiming to be a medical doctor and used a DEA Registration Number that belonged to Strong Memorial Hospital without authorization.

Using that number, Whitman gave out 177 prescriptions to nine people, with 173 of them being oxycodone, according to the attorney’s office.

During a search of Whitman’s home, officers found a framed fake diploma from the University of Rochester Medical School.

The attorney’s office says Whitman does not hold any professional licenses granted in New York State to practice medicine or to issue prescriptions, and did not graduate from the University of Rochester Medical School.

Whitman was charged with distributing and dispensing a controlled substance, using a registration
number issued to another person to obtain controlled substances, and obtaining controlled
substances by fraud. His charges face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.