Texas Doctor Convicted of Distributing Over Million Opioid Pills

HOUSTON — A federal jury in the Southern District of Texas convicted physician Ray Anthony Shoulders on May 3, 2026, for unlawfully distributing more than one million pills containing opioids and other controlled substances, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

The conviction affects patients who received prescriptions from Shoulders' clinic in Houston, where he issued over 1.2 million pills including hydrocodone, carisoprodol and alprazolam between 2015 and 2019, per the Justice Department release. These distributions violated the Controlled Substances Act by occurring outside legitimate medical practice and without valid prescriptions, impacting an estimated thousands of individuals in the Houston area who accessed the drugs through his operation.

Prior to the conviction, Shoulders operated without federal scrutiny on these specific charges, allowing the continued distribution of controlled substances. The new state imposes criminal liability, with sentencing scheduled for September 2026, where Shoulders faces up to 20 years in prison per count under 21 U.S.C. § 841, as detailed in the Justice Department announcement.

The conviction triggers mandatory asset forfeiture proceedings for any property derived from the illegal activity, per standard federal procedures under the Controlled Substances Act. It also requires the Texas Medical Board to review Shoulders' license for potential revocation, initiating disciplinary actions within 30 days of the verdict.

Federal prosecutors must file sentencing recommendations by August 2026, prompting judicial review that could influence penalties in similar opioid cases.

This marks the 15th conviction in the Southern District of Texas for opioid-related distribution since 2024, per Justice Department records. The case stems from an investigation launched in 2020 under the department's Prescription Interdiction & Litigation Task Force, which has targeted over 100 medical professionals nationwide.