DEA Denies Registration Application of Dr. Ali Elhorr

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On October 20, 2025, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) published a decision to deny Dr. Ali Elhorr’s application for a DEA Certificate of Registration. Dr. Elhorr is a physician from Dearborn, Michigan.

Reasons for Denial

Dr. Elhorr’s application was denied for two main reasons:

  1. Mandatory Exclusion from Federal Health Programs:
    Dr. Elhorr was found to be excluded from Medicare, Medicaid, and all Federal health care programs. This exclusion began on February 20, 2017, for a minimum of 15 years. The exclusion was issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, after Dr. Elhorr pled guilty to health care fraud in 2016.
  2. Material Falsification of DEA Application:
    On October 19, 2022, Dr. Elhorr applied for a DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances. The application asked if he had ever been excluded from Medicare or state health programs. Dr. Elhorr answered “No.” At the time, he was already excluded from these programs. The DEA found this to be a false statement and a violation of the Controlled Substances Act.

Procedural Details

Dr. Elhorr was personally served an Order to Show Cause (OSC) on June 3, 2025. He was informed that he could request a hearing. The DEA did not receive any response or request for a hearing from Dr. Elhorr. This counted as a default, meaning Dr. Elhorr was found to admit to all facts in the OSC.

Legal Findings

The DEA reviewed all evidence. The agency decided that Dr. Elhorr:

  • Was mandatorily excluded from federal programs.
  • Falsified his DEA application when he answered “No” to being excluded.
  • Did not accept responsibility for these actions since he did not respond to the OSC.

Each of these reasons, by themselves, was enough for the DEA to deny his application.

Importance of Compliance

The DEA stated that strict rules are important for controlling drugs and fighting drug abuse. Allowing someone who did not follow the rules to receive a registration would send a wrong message.

Final Order

The DEA denied Dr. Elhorr’s application for DEA registration, as well as any other pending applications in Michigan. This order is effective as of November 19, 2025.

Official Signatures

The document was signed by Administrator Terrance Cole on October 9, 2025. The notice was officially published by the Federal Register Liaison Officer of the DEA, Heather Achbach.

References

This news post is based on Federal Register Volume 90, Number 200 (Monday, October 20, 2025), pages 48375-48378.


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