A federal jury in the Middle District of Tennessee on Tuesday convicted 43-year-old Heather Marks of Murfreesboro for her role in a multi-year scheme to unlawfully distribute powerful opioid medications from a rural Tennessee pain clinic.
Prosecutors say Marks, an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to prescribe controlled substances, wrote prescriptions for nearly one million opioid pills to almost 1,000 patients of Lifeforce Pain and Wellness in Carthage between September 2016 and May 2018.
Evidence presented at trial showed Lifeforce operated as a small, rural clinic that attracted patients who traveled long distances specifically because staff there were willing to supply large quantities of oxycodone and oxymorphone, often for non-medical use or resale.
According to court filings and testimony, Marks ignored red flags that patients were actively using illegal drugs at the time she prescribed opioids and continued to provide high-dose prescriptions to individuals she believed were likely diverting pills to the street.
The government argued those actions increased the risk of overdose and perpetuated local opioid misuse and trafficking.
A jury found Marks guilty of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances and eight substantive counts of unlawful distribution. She faces up to 20 years in prison on each count and is scheduled for sentencing on September 1, 2026.
A federal district judge will determine her sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
The prosecutions were led by Assistant Chief Jim Hayes and trial attorneys Lauren Randell and Manu Sebastian from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Officials from the Justice Department’s newly created National Fraud Enforcement Division, which focuses on fraud against the public, joined U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek and other senior prosecutors in announcing the verdict.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald highlighted the division’s role in pursuing medical and prescription fraud.
The conviction underscores continued federal efforts to curb the opioid epidemic by targeting prescribers who allegedly facilitate abuse and illegal distribution. Marks’s sentencing will offer further details on the scope of the scheme and potential penalties.