legal representation for prescription drug abuse

Former Pharmaceutical Sales Rep to Serve 70 Months in Prison for Part in $13M Oxycodone Scheme

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On March 24, 2017, a federal judge in the U.S. Southern District of Florida in Miami sentenced a former pharmaceutical salesman to nearly six years in prison for his part in a $13 million money laundering scheme. The scheme involved more than two million oxycodone pills, which the salesperson allegedly helped supply to pain clinics by falsely telling pharmaceutical wholesalers that the clinics weren’t “pill mills.”

U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, sentenced Jonathan Sendor to 70 months in prison after he pled guilty in January 2017 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Sendor was essentially working as a broker between wholesale pharmaceutical suppliers and pain clinics attempting to procure a supply of oxycodone for patients of pill mills.
The Scheme.

According to prosecutors, Sendor and two co-conspirators operated six pain clinics in Florida between March 2010 and June 2011. The co-conspirators operated the clinics to ensure that the maximum amount of oxycodone would be prescribed without a legitimate medical need, and purely for the sake of profit. The six clinics dispensed and distributed more than two million oxycodone pills before they were caught and shut down in 2011. The clinics made roughly $13.5 million from the unlawful prescriptions, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Sendor helped the pain clinics receive a steady supply of the drug through the wholesalers, prosecutors alleged. For his part in the scheme, Sendor allegedly created multiple companies, building on the connections he had formed as a pharmaceutical salesman. He then proceeded to act as a “quasi-broker” between the doctors of the pain clinics needing the oxycodone and the wholesalers distributing the drug.

Sendor was able to mislead wholesale pharmaceutical companies and told them that he would function as an inspector. It is alleged that he conducted fake inspection visits to the pain clinics and required the clinics’ doctors to complete a survey. When the surveys were completed, he misrepresented the results and advised the doctors, pain clinic managers, owners and other co-conspirators to lie on the survey form.

In 2010, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi helped pass legislation banning doctors from dispensing narcotic medications out of their office. After the law changed, Sendor then assisted in the opening of two pharmacies – one in Boca Raton and another in Orlando, Florida. Patients of the six pain clinics were then directed to these pharmacies for oxycodone.

To read the DOJ’s press release in full, click here.

To learn more about the pill mill problem in Florida, click here to read one of my prior blogs.

Contact a Health Law Attorney Experienced in DEA Cases.

At the Health Law Firm, we provide legal services for all health care providers and professionals. This includes physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health counselors, durable medical equipment suppliers (DME), medical students and interns, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, pain management clinics, nursing homes, and any other health care provider. We defend pain management physicians, clinics and pharmacists in state license investigations, in administrative hearings, and in DEA actions. The services we provide include reviewing and negotiating contracts, preparing contracts, helping employers and employees enforce contracts, advice on setting aside or voiding contracts, litigation of contracts (in start or federal court), business transactions, professional license defense, opinion letters, representation in investigations, fair hearing defense, representation in peer review and clinical privileges hearings, litigation of restrictive covenant (covenants not to compete), Medicare and Medicaid audits, commercial litigation, and administrative hearings.

To contact The Health Law Firm, please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

Sources:

Lincoff, Nina. “South Florida pain clinics tied up in $13M money laundering conspiracy.” South Florida Business Journal. (January 17, 2017). Web.

Posses, Shayna. “Sales Rep To Serve 70 Months For $13M Oxycodone Scheme.” Law360. (March 24, 2017). Web.

About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

KeyWords: Legal representation for prescription drug abuse, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) cases, legal representation for DEA investigations, Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, legal representation for schemes to over-prescribe narcotics, legal representation for schemes to traffic narcotics, pill mill defense attorney, legal representation for doctor shopping, legal representation for pill mills, legal representation for pharmacists, legal representation for pharmacies pharmacy defense attorney, pharmacist defense attorney, administrative hearing attorney, DEA defense attorney, Department of Health investigations, legal representation for DOH investigations, DOH investigation defense attorney, prescription drug crackdown, Florida prescription drug abuse, prescription drug trafficking, The Health Law Firm reviews, reviews of The Health Law Firm attorneys

“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of and a registered service mark of The Health Law Firm, P.A., a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
Copyright © 2017 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.

Appeals Court Affirms Discipline for Doctor Who Sold Prescriptions at Bar

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On December 15, 2017, a physician who sold painkiller prescriptions to patients at a bar and restaurant, had his two-year probation for unprofessional conduct upheld by a Maryland appeals court. The court upheld the decision after it found that the evidence supported the state board’s disciplinary decision.

Unprofessional Conduct Alleged.

The Court of Special Appeals affirmed the ruling by the Maryland State Board of Physicians (Board) to reprimand Dr. Walter Kozachuk and place him on probation for a minimum of two years for unprofessional conduct in the practice of medicine. The Board claimed he would routinely meet with patients at a restaurant and bar and give them prescriptions for painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs in exchange for $100 per prescription. Additionally, on at least one occasion, he allegedly gave a patient a prescription in a parking lot.

The appeals court determined that there was substantial evidence supporting the board’s determination that the doctor’s sale of prescriptions in a non-office setting constituted unprofessional conduct. To read the court’s opinion in full, click here.

How You Can Avoid Legal Issues.

As a physician, you should be proactive in avoiding drug seeking patients and illicit clinic owners or coworkers. With the power of prescribing comes a great responsibility. Don’t find yourself behind bars when it can all be prevented. Here are some tips to learn from the recent pain management clinic raids.

1. Avoid working for practices or clinics that have reputations as pill mills.

2. Most physicians subject of investigations, such as the one written about here, are typically the sole physician in the clinic. Join a team setting in a group practice with other full-time physicians.

3. Document everything. Make sure all medical records meet the requirements of state and federal laws. Verify all patients’ identities and be sensitive to possible false identifications.

4. Make sure you know about everything going on in your office. Maintain a loyal and trustworthy staff who will report irregular behavior to you as physician. Have a zero tolerance for staff violations.

5. Do NOT ever allow a lay person or non-physician to control your office. Do not give anyone like this sole access to medical records, billings, bank accounts or scheduling. Make sure that you are the one in control of these, that you have the passwords and access numbers, and that your constantly review these. You will be held accountable for this so you should remain in control.

To read more physician tips on protecting yourself and your license, click here.

Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced with Investigations of Health Professionals and Providers.

The attorneys of The Health Law Firm provide legal representation to physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, pain management doctors, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists and other health providers in Department of Health (DOH) investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigations, FBI investigations, Medicare investigations, Medicaid investigations and other types of investigations of health professionals and providers. We represent physicians in complaints against their medical licenses. We also handle appeals of board of medicine cases.
To contact The Health Law Firm, please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

Source:

Kang, Peter. “Md. Court Affirms Discipline For Doc Who Sold Scrips At Bar.” Law360. (December 15, 2017). Web.

About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

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“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of and a registered service mark of The Health Law Firm, P.A., a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.Copyright © 2017 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.