Jacksonville Nurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substances

Jacksonville, Florida — Kenyatta Dacres pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.

The 45-year-old Jacksonville resident admitted to dispensing prescription drugs outside the bounds of professional medical practice, according to the Department of Justice announcement. As a nurse practitioner, Dacres held authority under federal law to prescribe controlled substances only for legitimate medical purposes within the usual course of professional treatment.

Dacres faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida under U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.

The plea resolves criminal charges that directly targeted Dacres’ prescribing conduct. Under prior law, nurse practitioners registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration could issue controlled-substance prescriptions only when acting in compliance with the Controlled Substances Act.

The guilty plea establishes that Dacres operated outside those limits, triggering mandatory federal sentencing proceedings that will now determine the exact term of incarceration, potential supervised release, and any fines.

Downstream, the conviction requires the DEA to consider revocation or suspension of Dacres’ registration to prescribe controlled substances, a process that normally follows such pleas within 30 to 90 days. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will also submit a sentencing memorandum outlining the volume and types of substances distributed, which will set the base offense level under federal guidelines.

Any patients who received the prescriptions may face review by state medical boards or insurers for improper treatment.

This case forms part of the Justice Department’s ongoing enforcement against health-care providers accused of contributing to the opioid epidemic through improper prescribing. The department has brought similar charges against physicians, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists in the Middle District of Florida in recent years, each prosecuted under 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) for distribution outside legitimate medical channels.

The announcement was made by the U.S. Department of Justice on June 1, 2026.