Encino Doctor Faces 3 New Drug Charges

Prosecutors added three new counts Friday against an Encino doctor accused of prescribing and selling narcotic drugs without a legitimate medical reason.

Yahya Hedvat, 68, was charged Aug. 12 with eight felony counts of unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance, including hydrocodone and clonazepam. The new complaint adds three counts of sale/offer to sell/transportation of a controlled substance.

Hedvat, an internal medicine specialist who runs an Encino medical clinic called "Urgent Care," remains free on his own recognizance while awaiting arraignment Oct. 1.

When the first set of charges were filed, Deputy District Attorney John Niedermann alleged that Hedvat prescribed various narcotic drugs to undercover California Medical Board agents without performing proper examinations or prescribing the drugs for a legitimate medical purpose.

The criminal complaint alleges that Hedvat wrote unlawful prescriptions to clients in August 2012 and to undercover agents beginning in February.

The new charges also involve undercover state medical board agents who purchased hydrocodone and clonazepam from the doctor, according to Jane Robison of the District Attorney's Office.

-- City News Service