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Article Summary: customers were able to obtain controlled substances and prescription drugs without any genuine medical need and outside of a legitimate doctor-patient relationship.
Five Doctors Indicted In $75M Internet Prescription Drug Ring
According to Nahmias and the documents and information presented in court:Stoufflet and Sobert were two of the owners of businesses including “escripts-md.com,” “myemd.com,” “Lifespan,” and “Virtual Wellness Networks,”based in Marietta, Georgia. These business sought customers who would request specific controlled substances and prescription drugs. The businesses forwarded these requests to doctors who would click electronic prescriptions causing the drugs to be sent to the customers. The doctors allegedly never met the customers, nor would they typically even speak to the customers over the telephone. Thus, customers were able to obtain controlled substances and prescription drugs without any genuine medical need and outside of a legitimate doctor-patient relationship. Drugs listed in the indictment include Phentermine, Adipex-P, Meridia, Bontril, and Viagra.
The indictment alleges that as part of the scheme, Dr. Andries dispensed at least 33,400 prescriptions in a 14 month period, including at least 18,500 prescriptions for controlled substances. Dr.Hoang allegedly dispensed at least 16,500 prescriptions in a 6 month period, including over 7,000 prescriptions for controlled substances. Dr.Hollis allegedly dispensed at least 43,490 prescriptions, including over 26,000 for controlled substances, in a 13 month period. Dr. Rashid allegedly dispensed at least 12,000 prescriptions, including at least 8,000 for controlled substances, in a 5 month period. Finally, in a 20 month period, Dr. Smith allegedly dispensed at least 65,000 prescriptions, over 40,000 of which were for controlled substances.
The Defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury on August 8, 2006. According to the Indictment, Stoufflet and Sobert obtained at least $75 million in proceeds as a result of the conspiracy. The indictment contains a forfeiture provision in which the government seeks to forfeit all proceeds of illegal products and criminal activity. Sobert appeared this morning before a federal magistrate and was ordered to post a $10,000 cash bond. Read more at usdoj.gov
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