The founder of Done Global, Ruthia He, was sentenced to six years in prison and fined $1 million for conspiring to illegally distribute over 37 million Adderall pills and defraud insurers of more than $12 million. Her company used a subscription model and auto-refill technology to push stimulant prescriptions with little to no clinical oversight. The DOJ called it a clear warning to digital health companies that build fraud into their growth models.
Ruthia He, founder and former CEO of telehealth startup Done Global, was sentenced to six years in prison and fined $1 million after being convicted of conspiring to illegally distribute Adderall and other stimulants online. Her former clinical president, David Brody, received a two-year sentence and a $1 million fine. A San Francisco jury found both guilty on multiple counts, including healthcare fraud and distribution of controlled substances.
The DOJ alleged that He built a subscription-based prescription operation, spending over $40 million on social media ads to convince users they had ADHD, then funneling them into an auto-refill platform that minimized clinical oversight. Clinicians were paid up to $60,000 per month to churn out prescriptions — some signing off every 30 seconds — while patients who raised red flags, including those experiencing psychosis or who had since died, continued receiving refills.
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Why it matters: This case sets a significant precedent for digital health accountability, signaling that telehealth platforms cannot use technology to circumvent medical ethics or the law — particularly when vulnerable patients' health and lives are at stake.
