Texas Doctor Sentenced to 12.5 Years for Running Kingwood Pill Mill

Overview

• The sentence, handed down Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2026, ordered Maryam Qayum to 151 months in federal prison after she pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances.
• Federal prosecutors say Qayum ran Recare Health Clinic as a cash-only pill mill that issued more than three million opioid prescriptions between 2022 and 2025, often without legitimate medical exams.
• Investigators found clinic staff referred street dealers as “providers,” accepted cash and tips, and used a handwritten price list that showed oxycodone 30 mg went for as much as $500 and hydrocodone prescriptions for about $300.
• Four co-defendants have already received multi-year federal sentences for their roles, including a dealer who recruited patients, a nurse practitioner, a clinic security guard, and a pharmacist who filled illegitimate prescriptions.
• The case was built by the DEA and Conroe police and prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, and officials say it reflects a stepped-up national push against health-care fraud and opioid diversion.