Local physician pleads to federal charges of being convicted felon in possession of a firearm

 A Corbin physician pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, but did so without a plea agreement in place.

Forty-eight-year-old Nikhil Parulekar admitted to U.S. Magistrate Judge Hanly A. Ingam that he had in his possession 17 rifles, handguns and shotguns that had been manufactured outside Kentucky and been obtained through interstate commerce.

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

“Yes, I am guilty of both of those charges,” Parulekar told Ingram when asked about his plea.

Under federal law, Parulekar faces up to 10 years in prison on each charge. The judge may order Parulekar to serve those sentences consecutively, meaning he is facing up to 20 years, or concurrently, meaning for each day he spends in custody, he receives credit toward the service of both sentences.

Parulekar’s attorney, David Hoskins, said while it is unusual for a defendant to plead guilty without a plea agreement in place, it is not unheard of.

Hoskins said there were negotiations with U.S. Attorneys on a plea agreement.

“They were asking my client to give up a lot,” Hoskins said, noting one of the tenants of the proposed agreement was for Parulekar to surrender his Drug Enforcement Administration license that permits him to prescribe narcotics.

“He knows he will lose it, temporarily, but that will give him a chance to practice medicine again,” Hoskins said. “He has been a good doctor.”

Corbin Police found a 9mm handgun in Parulekar’s possession during a traffic stop in February. 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.

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.

Parulekar is scheduled to return to court on March 12 for formal sentencing.

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.

Ingram agreed to allow Parulekar to remain free, but admonished him about the temptation to flee as the sentencing date grew closer and warning him that if he did flee, it would add 10 years to any sentenced he received.