The founder and CEO of a California-based telehealth company has been arrested and charged in connection with a scheme to distribute Adderall over the internet and commit healthcare fraud.

According to a Justice Department news release, Ruthia He, the founder and CEO of Done Global Inc., conspired with the company's clinical president, David Brody, and others to facilitate easy access to stimulants, including Adderall, which is used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in exchange for a monthly subscription fee.

He was taken into custody in Los Angeles, while Brody was arrested in San Rafael, California. Both face charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances. If convicted, they each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. It is currently unknown whether He and Brody have secured legal representation.

The Justice Department alleges that He and Brody orchestrated this scheme to "unlawfully enrich themselves," generating over $100 million by increasing monthly subscription revenue, thereby boosting the company's valuation.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri accused He and Brody of exploiting telemedicine and investing millions in deceptive advertisements on social media.

"They generated over $100 million in revenue by arranging for the prescription of over 40 million pills," Argentieri stated. "These charges represent the Justice Department’s first criminal drug distribution prosecutions related to telemedicine prescribing through a digital health company. These charges emphasize that corporate executives who prioritize profit over the health and safety of patients — including through technological innovation — will be held accountable."

The pair allegedly acquired subscribers by spending millions on deceptive social media advertisements, targeting individuals seeking drugs, and deliberately structuring the Done platform to facilitate access to Adderall and other stimulants.

The scheme purportedly involved limiting the information available to Done prescribers and instructing them to prescribe Adderall and other stimulants even if members did not qualify. He is also accused of maximizing profits by introducing an "auto-refill" function, allowing subscribers to request monthly refills of the drug, according to the Justice Department.

He and Brody are further accused of conspiring to defraud pharmacies, as well as Medicare and Medicaid.

The Justice Department claims that He and Brody continued their scheme even after being informed that Done members had overdosed and died and that material was posted online about how individuals could obtain Adderall and other stimulants from the company.

Done Global, which asserts it provides high-quality psychiatric chronic care that is more affordable and accessible, stated it "strongly disagrees with the charges" filed against He and Brody.

"Done Global will continue to operate and do everything in our power to ensure that tens of thousands of Americans who rely on us do not lose access to their mental health care," the company said in an emailed statement. "We will also continue to support our clinicians as they exercise independent clinical judgment, practice evidence-based medicine, and provide best-in-class health care."

Attempts to contact He and Brody at phone numbers listed for them were unsuccessful.

In 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that some clinicians felt pressured by the company to prescribe stimulants. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) initiated an investigation that year into Done's practice of prescribing controlled substances.

The DEA classifies Adderall as a Schedule II drug with a high potential for abuse, placing it in the same category as Vicodin, OxyContin, and methamphetamine.