WASHINGTON (WTVF) — A federal jury in the Middle District of Tennessee convicted a Murfreesboro nurse practitioner on charges tied to the illegal distribution of controlled substances, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Heather Marks, 43, was convicted of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances and eight counts of illegally distributing controlled substances.
According to court documents and evidence presented during trial, Marks worked as an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner at Lifeforce Pain and Wellness, a pain clinic in Carthage, Tennessee.
The DOJ said Marks prescribed nearly 1 million opioid pills to almost 1,000 patients during the conspiracy. Prosecutors alleged many of those patients were addicted to illegal drugs or were selling the opioids on the street.
Authorities said patients often traveled hundreds of miles to obtain prescriptions from the clinic because they believed Marks would prescribe the opioids they wanted to abuse or sell.
Prosecutors also alleged Marks ignored signs that patients were using illegal drugs while receiving opioid prescriptions, putting them at risk of overdose.
Marks is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 1, 2026. She faces up to 20 years in prison on each count.
The FBI, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald, U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee and officials with the FBI, HHS-OIG and TBI announced the conviction.
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