In a recent court ruling, Arlington-based primary care physician Kirsten Van Steenberg Ball was sentenced to a decade behind bars for her involvement in illegally prescribing and distributing over a million oxycodone pills. The operation, which was largely managed from Ball’s home office, has spotlighted the urgent issues surrounding prescription drug abuse and its deadly consequences in Northern Virginia communities.
Court documents reveal that Ball, 69, exploited her position by directing her office manager, Candie Marie Calix of Front Royal, to orchestrate a network of “patients” — many of whom were Calix’s relatives — to receive and subsequently sell vast quantities of the narcotic. Over a span of 10 years, Ball issued approximately 50,000 oxycodone pills to Calix alone, under the guise of medical treatment.
Despite clear signs of drug dependence and misuse among her patients, including those with prior drug-related convictions, Ball persistently prescribed excessive quantities of oxycodone. This practice not only facilitated addiction but also contributed to the overdose deaths of three patients, highlighting a grave disregard for the well-being of those she was entrusted to care for.
Ball’s methods included prescribing dangerously high doses and combining opioids with benzodiazepines, significantly heightening the risk of overdose. In one case, after noting a patient’s drug abuse, Ball continued her prescription regime, leading to the patient’s fatal overdose.
The investigation into Ball’s practices also uncovered attempts to obstruct justice. While under scrutiny by the Virginia Department of Health Professions, Ball falsified records to conceal her illicit activities. Furthermore, she attempted to evade detection by instructing Calix to use a false identity.
This case came to a head when an undercover FBI agent, posing as a relative of one of Ball’s patients, documented Ball’s willingness to ignore illegal drug sharing among patients, further implicating her in the distribution network.
Ball’s sentencing includes a 10-year prison term, a forfeiture of $750,000, and an unprecedented $50,000 community restitution payment to support Virginia’s substance abuse programs. Calix, Ball’s accomplice in this operation, had previously been sentenced to seven years for her role in the conspiracy.
This case underscores the critical challenges facing our community in the fight against prescription drug abuse, spotlighting the need for vigilant oversight in the medical profession and the dire consequences of neglecting such responsibilities.