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Pill Mill Shut Down Results in the Indictment of 32 People in Florida
Twin brothers Christopher George and Jeffrey George face federal charges related to the operation, management, and financing of four alleged pain management clinics in Florida that illegally distributed approximately 20 million oxycodone pills, among other drug products. John V. Gillies, special agent in charge for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Miami, noted that the investigation and indictment “dismantled the nation’s largest criminal organization involved in the illegal distribution of pain killers.” The federal indictment charges the George brothers and 30 other individuals, including 13 doctors, for their participation in the extensive pill mill scheme which involved sites in Broward County and Palm Beach County, Florida, as well as distribution through the Internet.
As explained in the Department of Justice press release, “To execute the scheme, the defendants hired complicit doctors who agreed from as early as their job interviews to prescribe oxycodone and other controlled substances to patients without regard to medical necessity, with only a cursory physical examination of the patient, and in violation of numerous federal and state laws and DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] regulations regarding the storage and distribution of controlled substances. The doctors typically prescribed a ‘cocktail’ of controlled substances, including large quantities of oxycodone (30 mg and 15 mg), Xanax (2 mg) and/or Soma, with no individualized treatment plans or showing of medical need. In return, the complicit doctors were paid on a per capita basis depending on the number of patients they examined each day.” The five-count indictment, filed August 11, 2011, charges the defendants with numerous crimes, including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, maintaining drug-involved premises, and wire and mail fraud conspiracy. Additional details about the investigation, charges, and the names of the defendants are included in the press release.
