A Monterey Park pediatric physician was sentenced today to four years in custody and ordered to pay more than $132,500 in restitution to Medi-Cal after pleading to insurance fraud and prescribing drugs with no legitimate medical purpose, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

Dr. Thomas Lin, 46, will surrender at 6 p.m. today to begin his two-year jail sentence. Upon his release, he will be under mandatory supervision for the remaining two years of custody, said Deputy District Attorney Keith Koyano of the Major Narcotics Division, who prosecuted the case.

Prosecutors said Lin provided diet pills known as phentermine, a controlled substance, through his pediatrics clinic known as “Kid's M.D.” on Atlantic Boulevard in Monterey Park.

Over the course of several months in 2012, investigators from the California Medical Board posed as new patients and were able to secure phentermine with little or no physical examination by Dr. Lin. Investigators received the drug either by paying his front office staff or receiving the drug for free.

Lin pleaded no contest in December to the two felony charges in BA414836.

Los Angeles County District Attorney / BA414836 / March 25, 2016