Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Division of Consumer Affairs (Division) announced today that the State Board of Medical Examiners (Board) has permanently revoked the license of a Gloucester County physician following his conviction on a federal charge of unlawful drug distribution.
Larry Pettis, a pain management specialist in Williamstown, New Jersey, has not practiced medicine in New Jersey since January 2025, when he entered into an Interim Consent Order voluntarily surrendering his medical license pending the resolution of criminal charges stemming from his arrest by federal agents in December 2024. Pettis subsequently pleaded guilty to unlawfully distributing a controlled substance and is scheduled for sentencing in October 2026.
The Final Consent Order permanently revoking Pettis’s license resolves allegations that Pettis’s conduct in the criminal matter amounted to professional misconduct, involved a crime directly related to his responsibilities as a physician, and was serious enough to warrant the permanent revocation of his medical license. Additionally, the Division’s Drug Control Unit permanently revoked Pettis’s registration to prescribe controlled dangerous substances in New Jersey.
“There is no place in the medical profession for doctors who abuse their prescribing privileges by unlawfully distributing controlled substances that fuel addiction, overdoses, and death,” said Attorney General Davenport.“We will continue to protect the public by seeking the strongest possible sanctions against physicians who break the law and expose their patients to grave harm.”
The evidence against Pettis alleged that he pre-signed prescriptions for controlled substances so that another individual, who was unable to issue such prescriptions, could issue the prescriptions when Pettis was out of the office. The evidence also showed that Pettis issued prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances without first assessing patients, and that he allegedly altered and fabricated medical records for patients receiving controlled substances.
“New Jersey’s strict prescribing rules have helped us turn the tide on the opioid epidemic in our state, but this physician repeatedly disregarded those safeguards and violated the standards expected of every medical professional,” said Christopher L. Peterson, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “By removing this dangerous prescriber from practice, we’re enhancing public safety and gaining critical traction in our fight to end the addiction crisis.”
Under the terms of the Consent Order, which was filed on July 29, 2026, Pettis must immediately cease and desist from all patient contact at any location in New Jersey, and from prescribing medications and rendering medical care. He is also barred from entering the premises of his former medical practice during business hours when patients may be present. Additionally, Pettis is precluded from managing, overseeing, supervising, or influencing the practice of medicine or provision of healthcare activities, including by testifying as an expert witness or being retained as a consulting expert, in New Jersey. He also must divest himself from any current and future financial interest in, or benefit derived from, the practice of medicine in New Jersey and from charging, receiving, or sharing in any fee for professional services rendered by others.
The State was represented in this matter by Deputy Attorney General Karen Webber, under the supervision of Section Chief Doreen A. Hafner, of the Professional Boards Prosecution Section, within the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Practice Group of the Division of Law.
Individuals who believe that they have been treated in an inappropriate manner by a licensed professional can file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504-6200.
