Owner Hansen Faces Federal Prescription Drug Charges

Dr. Kendall Hansen, best known as the co-owner of his namesake champion 2-year-old male of 2011 Hansen , pled not guilty Dec. 1 to federal charges that he used illegal means to acquire opioids for his own personal consumption.

Hansen entered the not guilty plea Wednesday in a division of United States District Court in Covington, Ky. He was released on his own recognizance.

Under grand jury charges to the indictment, Hansen, owner of Interventional Pain Specialists in Crestview Hills, Ky., is accused of receiving high doses of opioids through prescriptions from other IPS doctors and other providers in Northern Kentucky. He's accused of supplementing his supply of controlled substances by writing prescriptions in the name of IPS employees and telling those employees to fill the prescriptions. The actions allegedly occurred from December 2010 through March 2018.

Hansen's attorney, Ronald Chapman II, said the charges are linked to ongoing civil cases against Hansen. Chapman said that many of those civil cases have been dismissed.

"He's been under investigation for years with no charges coming out of it," Chapman said. "The only charges to come out now are these two allegations related to taking medication from a patient. 

"Long story short, there's been a long investigation by the government and these are the only two charges to come out of it," Chapman added. "There's a rash of charges against other physicians in the area and we believe this is another attempt by the government to ratchet up statistics to appear that they're charging a whole lot of doctors in the opioid epidemic."

With the charges, Hansen could lose his medical license and would face up to 20 years imprisonment and supervised release of at least three years. He would face a fine of up to $1 million.

With the indictment and not a conviction, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission will continue to honor Hansen's 2021 racing license for the remainder of the year. KHRC executive director Marc Guilfoil said Hansen does not have a 2022 racing license and, should he apply, a review will be conducted at that time.

Hansen has been racing a smaller stable in recent years. Through Dec. 2 he's had just 16 starts in 2020-21 with a record of 4-1-1 and about $115,000 in earnings. (He has a horse entered at Aqueduct Racetrack Dec. 3, Pure Panic .) Hansen has raced in New York, New Jersey, and Kentucky this season.

As the breeder and co-owner of the horse Hansen, Dr. Hansen watched the son of Tapit  —Stormy Sunday , by Sir Cat , post a 12 1/4-length debut maiden victory at Turfway Park in September 2011. Hansen came back that month with a 13 1/4-length win in the Bluegrass Cat Kentucky Cup Juvenile Stakes at Turfway, which set him up for a start in the Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Churchill Downs.

The Mike Maker trainee delivered a front-end score in the Juvenile in a thrilling finish in which he held off eventual classic winner Union Rags   by a head. Hansen earned champion 2-year-old male honors for 2011. Skychai Racing entered as an ownership partner ahead of the Breeders' Cup.

At 3 Hansen won the Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct, finished second in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, and ninth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1). That summer he added a victory in the Iowa Derby (G3) at Prairie Meadows.

The horse stood his initial season at stud in 2013 at Coolmore's Ashford Stud before the Korean Racing Association purchased him for stud duty in that country.

In 2017 the owner campaigned a son of Hansen, Fast and Accurate , to victory in the Jack Cincinnati Casino Spiral Stakes (G3) at the owner's "home" track, Turfway Park. 

As for the current charges, Chapman emphasized that Hansen treats patients who are suffering significant pain issues, sometimes necessitating the use of powerful painkillers.

"We maintain that Dr. Hansen has always treated his patients appropriately," said Chapman, who noted that the court allowed him to continue issuing prescriptions for now, although a state hearing also will soon examine that issue. "He's a very well-known and well-respected interventional pain management doctor. His patient population is definitely the type that experiences significant pain from real issues. If the government decides to make any more charges or allegations we are certainly prepared to defend those aggressively as well."