Former doctor from West Virginia arrested in Armenia and extradited to United States
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — A medical doctor formerly from Charleston, West Virginia, was arrested in Armenia due to him being wanted for 10 federal counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
According to a press release from the U.S. Marshals Service, Dr. Alexander Vladimirovich Otellin, 57, of Russia, formerly of West Virginia, had left the United States in order to avoid being prosecuted for his drug crimes. Otellin holds dual citizenship in the United States and Russia.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, U.S. Marshals Service, and INTERPOL Washington worked together in issuing a Interpol Red Notice for Dr. Otellin.
Otellin was originally arrested in September of 2023 after entering Armenia. When Armenian authorities noticed the Otellin’s Interpol Red Notice, he was immediately detained.
U.S. Marshals obtained custody of Otellin in Armenia before returning him to West Virginia on April 20, 2024. After landing at Yeager International Airport in Charleston, Otellin was taken to South-Central Regional Jail.
In 2021, the U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against 42 healthcare professionals across 31 districts in the United States. Otellin, who was a practicing psychiatry specialist in South Charleston, was among those charged. He allegedly distributed Adderall and Xanax illegally over the span of six months.
Otellin will continue to be held at SCRJ while he waits for court proceedings.
Armenian authorities worked with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs to properly extradite Otellin.
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