Ritesh Kalra
Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs (“Division”) announced today that the State Board of Medical Examiners (“Board”) has temporarily suspended the license of a Bergen County doctor facing federal charges of distributing opioids without a legitimate medical purpose and soliciting sexual favors from patients in exchange for opioid prescriptions.
Ritesh Kalra, an internist who practiced in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, is also charged with defrauding New Jersey Medicaid by billing for visits that never happened, according to documents filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey.
In a consent order filed with the Board on August 6, 2025, Kalra agreed to the temporary suspension of his medical license pending the outcome of the criminal charges against him and further action by the Board. He also agreed to the temporary suspension of his NJ CDS Registration which allows him to prescribe controlled dangerous substances in New Jersey.
“These are alarming allegations that represent the worst kind of abuse of the trust placed in a member of the medical profession,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Public safety demands that this physician have no professional contact with the public while the criminal case against him moves forward. We encourage anyone who has been treated inappropriately by Dr. Kalra to file a complaint with the Board of Medical Examiners.”
“When a doctor is charged with a criminal offense, especially in connection with his treatment of patients, his professional judgment and ability to practice medicine are called into question,” said Elizabeth M. Harris, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “By obtaining the temporary suspension of Dr. Kalra’s license pending the outcome of these charges, the Board has upheld its duty to protect patients and enforce the standards of the medical profession.”
Kalra was named in a five-count federal complaint that includes three counts of illegal opioid distribution and two counts of healthcare fraud.
According to federal authorities, Kalra allegedly operated a pill mill out of his medical office, where he routinely prescribed high-dose opioids—including oxycodone as well as promethazine with codeine—to patients despite knowing or having a reason to know that his patients were either misusing, abusing, or diverting the medications.
Federal authorities allege that between January 2019 and February 2025, Kalra issued over 31,000 prescriptions for oxycodone, often writing 50 or more prescriptions in a single day. One patient reportedly continued to receive opioid prescriptions from Kalra while incarcerated, despite having no in-person contact with him.
Several of Kalra’s former employees reported that multiple female patients had complained of sexual misconduct, including allegations that Kalra demanded oral sex and other sexual acts in return for opioid prescriptions, federal authorities allege. One patient described being sexually assaulted by Kalra on multiple occasions during clinical appointments, according to federal authorities.
Kalra made an initial appearance in Newark federal court on July 17, 2025, and was released under home incarceration and a $100,000 unsecured bond. As part of his release conditions, Kalra was ordered to close his practice by July 31, 2025, and is barred from practicing medicine and prescribing medications while the case is pending.
The State is represented in this matter by Deputy Attorney General Lydwin Nonez, under the supervision of Section Chief Doreen A. Hafner, of the Professional Boards Prosecution Section, within the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group of the Division of Law.
