Corbin doctor back in jail for violating bond conditions

Less than a week after he pleaded guilty to federal charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, a Corbin physician is back in jail for violating the conditions of his bond.

Forty-eight-year-old Nikhil Parulekar is being held in the Laurel County Detention Center, where he has been since Feb. 12.
According to federal court records, on Feb. 9, a federal judge granted a motion by the United State Probation Office to issue an arrest warrant. Both the motion and the warrant were filed under seal, meaning they are not available to the public.

Kyle Edelen, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office, said Parulekar failed to comply with his probation officer, which was one of the conditions of his release.

At a bond revocation hearing on Feb. 12, Parulekar, through his attorney, David Hoskins, stipulated to the violation.

U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Hanly Ingram denied Parulekar’s request to be released from custody pending his March 12 sentencing hearing.

Hoskins declined to comment on the nature or specifics of the violation.

“He will stay in custody until his sentencing,” Hoskins said of Parulekar.

Parulekar pleaded guilty on Feb. 6 to two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

At the reaaraignment hearing, Parulekar admitted that he had in his possession 17 rifles, handguns and shotguns.

Parulekar is prohibited from possessing firearms because of a felony conviction in Knox County in 1998 for forgery of a prescription.

Corbin Police found a 9mm handgun in Parulekar’s possession during a traffic stop in Feb. 2013. Police searched the car during the course of serving an arrest warrant for failure to appear in regard to a speeding ticket in Bell County. In addition to the gun, police found two small baggies of prescription medications, which were later identified as Oxycodone and Adderall.

U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents found the remaining 16 firearms, during a search of his mother’s home in response to an interview with Parulekar.

A federal grand jury indicted Parulekar in September.

At the rearraignment hearing, Hoskins told the court that Parulekar told law enforcement about the firearms and where they could be found.

“He has been fully cooperative with law enforcement,” Hoskins said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Coffey asked Ingram to remand Parulekar to custody pending the sentencing, noting he is a flight risk.

Hoskins responded that Parulekar has surrendered his passport and has shown up in court for every appearance as required.