Originally Posted by Unregistered

If so there are major questions to be raised about the State Board of Medical Examiners, Federal and State Legal systems in Louisiana!

8 charged in La. ``pill mill'' probe
AP
Posted: 2008-08-04 18:13:41
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal grand jury has indicted a Lafayette doctor, a Hahnville pharmacist and six other people on charges they conspired to illegally dispense prescription drugs out of several Louisiana clinics, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten announced Monday.

Letten said three clinics in New Orleans, Lafayette and Baton Rouge were operated as "pill mills," where patients were given prescriptions for drugs without legitimate medical purposes.

The suspects charged in Friday's 17-count indictment include Joseph Braud, an 81-year-old doctor from Lafayette, and pharmacist Thadrian Johnson, 47, of Hahnville.

The indictment says Candace Wilson, 35, and Monica Jones, 38, both of Baton Rouge, organized and managed three companies - Stanton Trinity Urgent Care Inc. in New Orleans, Maximum Urgent Care in Lafayette and Reddi Care Ambulatory Clinic in Baton Rouge - that operated the clinics.

Ples Dobbins, 40, of Clayton; Deshawn Whatley, 29, of Baton Rouge; Jimmy Lee Winters, 28; and Joshua Williams, 23; also were indicted on conspiracy charges.

If convicted of the conspiracy charge, each of the eight defendants faces up to 20 years in prison.

Letten said all of the clinics allegedly operated by the defendants had been shut down by January 2008.

"Such establishments are merely pill mills," said Patrick Warner, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New Orleans office.

"They are nothing but veiled sources of drug supply that fuel miserable addictions of many while grossly enriching the few greedy individuals that are involved in these illegal practices," he added.


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08/04/08 18:12 EDT