A Montgomery County physician was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison yesterday for running a Kingwood medical clinic as an illegal pill mill that distributed over 3 million opioid pills, according to court documents.
Dr. Maryam Qayum, 68, served as the owner, operator, and sole prescriber at Recare Health Clinic. Federal filings show Qayum ran the facility as a cash-only operation, selling prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone to street-level drug dealers, referred to internally as “providers.” She issued the prescriptions without legitimate medical purpose and frequently without meeting with the patients.
Between 2022 and 2025, when law enforcement shut down the facility, Qayum issued prescriptions for more than 3 million opioid pills.
According to court filings, Recare set pricing based on the street value of the drugs. A prescription for 30mg oxycodone cost up to $500, while hydrocodone prescriptions generally ran $300. Clinic staff also accepted cash tips from drug dealers to expedite prescriptions and patient processing.
A note detailing the cash price list for controlled substances was seized during a law enforcement search warrant.
Qayum pleaded guilty in March 2026 to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances.
Four co-defendants were previously sentenced in connection with the operation after pleading guilty to controlled substance charges in March 2026:
- Melvin Sampson, 56, of Houston, was sentenced to 210 months in prison in June 2026. Sampson operated as a street-level dealer who brought patients to the clinic, filled prescriptions, and resold the drugs.
- Tomi-Ko Bowers, 71, a nurse practitioner at Recare from Cleveland, Texas, was sentenced to 96 months in prison in June 2026.
- Lester Stokes, 38, of Houston, who worked as Recare’s security guard, received a 63-month prison sentence in June 2026.
- Jared Williams, 49, of Pearland, owner and pharmacist in charge at Surge Rx, was sentenced to 42 months in prison in July 2026 for filling Qayum’s illegitimate prescriptions.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Conroe Police Department conducted the investigation. Prosecutors included Acting Assistant Chief Devon Helfmeyer, Trial Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Alum for the Southern District of Texas.
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