A look at telehealth startup Done Global, whose owner was arrested by the US in June for allegedly running a “pill mill”, as it continues to operate from China
Rolfe Winkler / Wall Street Journal : X: @wsj , @laurenbalik , @stephpstrong , @rolfewinkler , @jchengwsj , @jchengwsj , @jchengwsj , @heathernauert , @dseetharaman , @rolfewinkler , and @jchengwsj . LinkedIn: Rolfe Winkler X: @wsj : The founder of Done Global, the telehealth startup that prosecutors allege is an Adderall “pill mill,” was arrested. Most of its U.S. staff have quit. But it's still pumping out prescriptions to its American clientele. https://www.wsj.com/... https://www.wsj.com/... Lauren Balik / @laurenbalik : Boy I'd hate to be David Sacks @DavidSacks, lead investor in the Done Adderall pill mill. David Sacks' other drug-related lead investment - WAYV - ended up with CEO Keith McCarty rooming with a money launderer, crack, illegal possession of firearms, and hookers. [image] Stephanie Papes Strong / @stephpstrong : @RolfeWinkler Incredibly in-depth & thoughtful journalism, covering what seems like a true horror show. This 1 pill mill casts a shadow on the 10,000 other providers working to do the right thing by providing accessible, modern, high-quality care supported by telemedicine. Rolfe Winkler / @rolfewinkler : Not every day a founder livestreams FBI agents serving a search warrant for her smartphone. Video at the bottom of the story. Jonathan Cheng / @jchengwsj : @ruthiahe Wang, a college classmate of He's, now runs Done with four others. Three are in China, including Wang, who didn't respond to requests for comment. Done has transferred $6.6 million to entities in China since its founding, according to court records. https://www.wsj.com/... Jonathan Cheng / @jchengwsj : U.S. authorities arrested the founder of Done Global, a California telehealth startup that prosecutors call an Adderall “pill mill.” Its U.S. staff quit. Still, it's pumping out prescriptions. Its secret: Key operations were moved to China. @RolfeWinkler https://www.wsj.com/... Jonathan Cheng / @jchengwsj : Authorities arrested founder @ruthiahe, a Chinese citizen, in June and jailed her for three months. She was released last week, on condition that she remain under house arrest. She has pleaded not guilty. https://www.wsj.com/... Heather Nauert / @heathernauert : 👀Astonishing story. Pill-pushing CA company shut down by US but still sells stimulants to Americans. How? Pivot to China. More A+ reporting from @wsj U.S. Crackdown Targeted a Silicon Valley ‘Pill Mill’ Secretly,It Had Already Moved to China https://www.wsj.com/... Deepa Seetharaman / @dseetharaman : “When He was arrested, a U.S. employee posted a warning to customers on the company's Instagram account...'The management team from China has taken over operations.' It was signed ‘The US/Core Team.’ The post was removed within minutes.” https://www.wsj.com/... Rolfe Winkler / @rolfewinkler : The founder of what Feds allege is an Adderall “Pill Mill” couldn't get Americans to execute her aggressive plans, so she moved the company to China. Its 60k+ patients have no idea. Seven criminally charged but co still in biz b/c too big to shut down. https://www.wsj.com/... Jonathan Cheng / @jchengwsj : Its staff there have been aggressive in making sure customers can still get easy prescriptions for Adderall, a drug prescribed for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that is also among the most abused drugs in the U.S. https://www.wsj.com/... LinkedIn: Rolfe Winkler : Have never seen a startup founder livestream FBI agents serving a search warrant for her iPhone. We have the video in this story. …
Context & Ripple Effects
Done Global’s current continuity follows the June arrest and charges against its founder and head doctor, while its founder has pleaded not guilty. The reported departure of most U.S. staff makes the company’s continued service a test of how much its operating model depends on personnel outside the U.S.
The case also extends prior scrutiny of telehealth prescribing: reporting in 2022 said Done and Cerebral used pandemic-era flexibility and pressured clinicians around stimulant prescriptions. That earlier account of brief online evaluations provides the operational backdrop for the allegations now facing Done.
First-order effects
- Done Global’s remaining leadership, largely based in China, is taking over key operations as the company continues issuing Adderall prescriptions to U.S. patients.
- The arrest, staff departures and ongoing criminal case put Done’s clinical and operating continuity under acute pressure, even as its founder contests the allegations.
Second-order effects
- The allegations and Done’s continued operation are likely to intensify scrutiny of telehealth providers whose stimulant-prescribing workflows grew under looser pandemic-era practices.
- A company that can keep serving U.S. patients after losing much of its domestic staff highlights a harder enforcement and oversight problem when operational control sits abroad.
Third-order effects
- If similar cases persist, controlled-substance telehealth may move toward tighter linkage between U.S. prescribing, clinical staffing and operational accountability, rather than relying chiefly on a platform’s location or branding.
- The broader structural question is whether cross-border operating arrangements can outlast domestic legal action; Done shows that an arrest alone may not immediately stop a digital care service.
The trend: Telehealth’s pandemic-era expansion is entering a more demanding accountability phase, especially where online care intersects with controlled-drug prescribing and cross-border operations.