9 Tennessee medical professionals have been charged in alleged illegal prescription and distribution of opioids.

The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that 9 medical professionals in Tennessee have been charged in a federal indictment for their alleged involvement in the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids.

The full indictment involved 60 people across 6 states, and 9 of those were medical professionals in Tennessee. The others were 31 doctors, 7 pharmacists, 8 nurse practitioners, and 7 other licensed medical professionals through Kentucky, West Virginia and Alabama.

The following are the medical professionals that were charged in Tennessee:

Dr. Darrell Rinehart (Columbia): "indicted on 19 counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, between December 4, 2014 and January 21, 2016. According to the indictment, four patients died who were actively being seen by Dr. Rinehart.

Dr. Bowdoin Smith (Carthage): "indicted on two counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, in January and February 2019.

Dr. Lawrence Valdez (Life Survival Health, Hendersonville): "indicted on 18 counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, between June 2016 and March 2017."

Dr. Timothy Abbott (Podiatrist, Nashville): "indicted on seven counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, between January 2015 and January 2019."

Brian Richey (Nurse Practitioner, Pain MD Franklin): "indicted on three counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. According to the indictment, Richey, Seeley and White were employed by MedManagement Inc., which managed Pain MD located in Franklin, Tennessee."

Daniel Seeley (Nurse Practitioner, Pain MD Franklin): "indicted on three counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. According to the indictment, Richey, Seeley and White were employed by MedManagement Inc., which managed Pain MD located in Franklin, Tennessee."

Jonathan White (Nurse Practitioner, Pain MD Franklin): "indicted on three counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. According to the indictment, Richey, Seeley and White were employed by MedManagement Inc., which managed Pain MD located in Franklin, Tennessee."

John Polston (Celina): "indicted on 21 counts of dispensing Schedule II and Schedule IV controlled substances, outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, between April 27, 2017 and December 6, 2017.

Heather Marks (Nurse Practitioner, Murfreesboro): "indicted on four counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, between December 2016 and February 2018."

The arrests were made as part of the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, which began in December, and according to a release from the Justice Department, the charges involve “individuals contributing to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on medical professionals involved in the unlawful distribution of opioids and other prescription narcotics, a priority for the Department.”