Clara Ann Mason, D.V.M.
Outcome
Federal court ordered Putnam County veterinarian Clara Ann Mason to pay $956,709 in civil penalties in August 2025 — the maximum — for being unable to account for 9,796 controlled substance doses including oxycodone and hydrocodone; investigators found fabricated euthanasia records, unsecured drugs across her property, and Mason was the top opioid purchaser from her supplier for multiple years.
Details
Clara Ann Mason, D.V.M. — Opioid Diversion, Fabricated Records, and Maximum Civil Penalty (2018–2025)
Outcome: A federal court ordered Putnam County, West Virginia veterinarian Clara Ann Mason, D.V.M. to pay $956,709 in civil penalties — the maximum allowed — on August 5, 2025, after she was unable to account for 9,796 dosage units of oxycodone and hydrocodone, investigators found controlled substances unsecured throughout her property, and she was found to have fabricated euthanasia records to explain away the unaccounted opioids.
Clara Ann Mason was a veterinarian registered with DEA in Winfield, West Virginia. Between March 8, 2018, and July 10, 2023, Mason ordered extraordinary volumes of controlled opioids: 14,200 dosage units of hydrocodone/acetaminophen 10/325mg, 800 units of oxycodone 10mg, and 600 units of oxycodone 5mg. For years 2021, 2022, and 2023, Mason ordered substantially more hydrocodone/acetaminophen than any other individual customer from her supplier. Between January 2021 and January 2023, her oxycodone purchases accounted for 74% of all oxycodone dosage units sold by the supplier.
On October 11, 2023, investigators executed an administrative inspection warrant at Mason's registered DEA address in Winfield. They found controlled substances unsecured in numerous locations throughout the property. Mason was unable to produce any dispensing records, required DEA purchase forms, or inventory records. Investigators determined that at least 6,593 dosage units of hydrocodone and oxycodone were unaccounted for, along with additional other controlled substances — totaling 9,796 unaccounted units.
In the days and weeks following the warrant, Mason provided purported records claiming she had dispensed large quantities of opioids to dogs and cats prior to euthanasia. Investigators determined these documents were largely fabricated; interviews with multiple pet owners confirmed none had witnessed Mason administering oral opioid medications to their pets before euthanasia. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia entered a $956,709 default judgment against Mason.
Primary Source: DEA Press Release — Putnam County Veterinarian Ordered to Pay $956,709 in Civil Penalties (Aug. 7, 2025)
How Crucible Prevents This
Mason was the top hydrocodone purchaser from her supplier for 2021, 2022, and 2023, and accounted for 74% of all oxycodone sold by the supplier in a two-year period — extreme outlier statistics that should have triggered supplier-level and DEA-level alerts long before the 2023 inspection warrant. Crucible's purchasing volume analytics, benchmarked against comparable veterinary practices and flagging outlier purchase patterns, would have detected this anomaly years earlier.
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