Orange County doctor arrested, feared Borderline shooter had drugs he prescribed

Prescriptions by an Orange County doctor who was arrested on federal narcotics charges may have been in the possession of the Borderline shooter, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday

The doctor, Dzung Ahn Pham, 56, of Tustin, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of illegally distributing opioids and other powerful narcotics by writing prescriptions for so-called patients without medical examinations.

Justice Department officials allege that at least five of those individuals suffered overdose deaths. Pham, who owns Irvine Village Urgent Care, is charged with two counts of illegally distributing oxycodone, according to a news release.

Investigators looking into Pham obtained two batches of text messages about his prescriptions between him and other parties, according to an affidavit related to his arrest.

Among the messages was a series related to the shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, where Ian David Long, 28, of Newbury Park, opened fire on Nov. 7 in an attack that left 12 victims and himself dead.

The affidavit says Pham sent a text message expressing concern that he had received information that Long had in his possession drugs prescribed by Pham but in another person’s name.

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“One of my patient just told me that the thousand oak shooter, ian david long, had my prescription bottles that belong to some else. I never saw Mr. Long before, so i dont know the implication of this information,” the affidavit says Pham wrote in the text message sent Nov. 9.

A person, believed to have been one of Pham’s patients, replied, “Ill get [my wife] on it, if its not his prescriptions you are clear ok, don’t worry … do you know the person was that had the original script? But that’s not on you, if i give my meds to some crazy person its on me, not you, you have no control over what happened after a patient leaves your office ok .. but i will ask [my wife] to clarify.”

According to the affidavit, federal investigators were not sure whose name was on the prescriptions. The document provides no other information about the connection to the Borderline shooting.

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“Pham’s text message reveals the possibility that Pham knew his prescriptions could have been diverted and used by other individuals,” the affidavit states.

An official spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the agency investigating the Borderline shooting, said the department had not been made aware of this information.

“It’s not something that we have any knowledge of,” said sheriff’s Capt. Garo Kuredjian. 

Justice Department officials alleged that Pham sold prescriptions to addicts, and he was the subject of two undercover operations conducted over the summer.

Officials also said a man suspected of driving into and killing a bicyclist in November was also in possession of prescriptions by Pham. The driver is accused of killing a captain with Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue.

Pham was expected to appear Tuesday afternoon in U.S District Court in Santa Ana. The case is sealed, according to federal court records. 

Staff writer Megan Diskin contributed to this report.