A Mississippi nurse practitioner has been arrested as a result of an investigation into prescription drug fraud and theft.

Following a complaint, Agents with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Gulfport Tactical Diversion Unit, began investigating Nurse Practitioner Leslie Wilbourne, 46.

At the time of the complaint, Wilbourne was practicing at Maxem Health Urgent Care in Gulfport and Pascagoula, MS. Wilbourne was reportedly prescribing Ambien, a Schedule IV controlled substance, to her adult children, mother, father, and friends. Wilbourne would then pick up the prescriptions for her personal use.

Agents determined that Wilbourne has picked up over 146 prescriptions of Ambien, each containing 30 dosage units of 10 milligrams, over the last three years.

On July 8, 2021, Wilbourne surrendered her Drug Enforcement Administration Registration to prescribe controlled substances and was arrested.

Wilbourne was charged with Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud/Theft and was booked in the Harrison County Adult Detention Center under a $7,500 bond.