Dr. Viktor Gribenko, a Brooklyn physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, received a DEA immediate suspension order in May 2025 for prescribing controlled substances without proper medical justification, and in June 2026 he pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute narcotics.
What the DEA Alleged
The Drug Enforcement Administration issued the immediate suspension order in May 2025, one of seven such orders the agency issued that month. The order stripped Gribenko of his registration to prescribe controlled substances. The DEA classified the action as administrative, not criminal, and its report did not identify specific instances of patient injury or death tied to his prescribing.1DEA. Diversion News – June 2025
According to the agency, Gribenko prescribed oxycodone, alprazolam, and buprenorphine without examining patients or establishing clinical criteria to justify the prescriptions. The DEA also alleged that he overlooked clear drug-seeking behavior in his patient population. The agency reported that while Gribenko required patients to undergo MRIs and urine tests for insurance purposes, he admitted he “would never look at or evaluate the testing.”1DEA. Diversion News – June 2025
The three drugs cover different categories: oxycodone is an opioid painkiller, alprazolam is a benzodiazepine used for anxiety, and buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist used in both pain management and treatment of opioid use disorder.
The Federal Criminal Case
The administrative suspension was followed by a federal prosecution. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed a one-count information in 2026, charging Gribenko with possession with intent to distribute narcotics under 21 U.S.C. § 841. The case was docketed as United States v. Gribenko, No. 1:26-cr-00258.2Midpage AI. United States v. Gribenko
Gribenko pleaded guilty to the single count on June 19, 2026. A consent preliminary order of forfeiture and money judgment was entered against him in the amount of $389.86.2Midpage AI. United States v. Gribenko Sentencing details beyond the forfeiture order were not available in the record at the time of the plea.
Who Is Dr. Gribenko
Gribenko operated a practice at 170 Avenue S in Brooklyn under the name Viktor Gribenko MD PC.3U.S. News Health. Dr. Viktor Gribenko, MD He is board-certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has held an active New York State medical license since 1998, valid through 2027.4Doximity. Viktor Gribenko, MD His listed areas of expertise included rotator cuff injuries, arthritis, lower back pain, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and drug use disorders.
Earlier Appearance in a Staten Island Case
Gribenko’s name had surfaced years earlier in an unrelated proceeding. A 2012 Richmond County indictment charged Johanna Pecci with multiple drug possession and fraud counts tied to obtaining controlled substances from several Staten Island physicians. One of the 19 counts alleged that on April 6, 2012, Pecci obtained oxycodone from Gribenko without disclosing that she was already receiving the same drug from another practitioner in the same course of treatment.5DOJ Archive. Staten Island Pill Indictment – Pecci Gribenko was not charged in that case; the fraud count was directed at Pecci for deceiving the practitioners she visited.