By
A Dallas pharmacist and four others were convicted Monday by a jury in federal court of running an illegal prescription drug scheme, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Lisa L. Hollier, 44, of Sunnyvale, filled the bogus prescriptions written by a co-conspirator — a doctor who testified during the trial, federal authorities said.
The defendants were convicted of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances. Officials described the “pill mill” scheme in a news release.
The doctor, Nicolas Padron, wrote the prescriptions for fake patients who were found in homeless shelters and elsewhere by three people acting as drug dealers.
After Hollier filled the prescriptions, the phony patients gave the pills to the dealers, who sold them on the street for a profit. The dealers came up with the money to buy the drugs and sometimes paid Hollier directly for the prescriptions.
Padron, 54, of Garland, pleaded guilty in September to his role in conspiracy and faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine.
Padron and his office manager, Jose L. Martinez, 54, of Flower Mound, operated the scheme out of Padron Wellness Clinic on Emerald Isle Drive in Dallas. They opened the clinic in the fall of 2010.
The dealers drove the patients in groups to the clinic. They and Martinez also were convicted on Monday. The dealers are Joesephis Austin, 60, of Dallas, Patricia A. Bryant, 59, of Dallas, and Walter R. Hudspeth, 62, of Dallas.
Padron did little or no physical examinations at his clinic and prescribed a “cocktail” of drugs, including hydrocodone and alprazolam. He would sometimes see two or more patients at a time and falsely diagnose them with lower back pain and anxiety.
Hollier filled the prescriptions from her pharmacy, Urban Independent Pharmacy, on Samuell Boulevard.
Padron has also pleaded guilty in an unrelated case to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
quoted herehttp://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/dallas-pharmacist-and-four-others-convicted-in-illegal-prescription-drug-scheme.html/
A Dallas pharmacist and four others were convicted Monday by a jury in federal court of running an illegal prescription drug scheme, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Lisa L. Hollier, 44, of Sunnyvale, filled the bogus prescriptions written by a co-conspirator — a doctor who testified during the trial, federal authorities said.
The defendants were convicted of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances. Officials described the “pill mill” scheme in a news release.
The doctor, Nicolas Padron, wrote the prescriptions for fake patients who were found in homeless shelters and elsewhere by three people acting as drug dealers.
After Hollier filled the prescriptions, the phony patients gave the pills to the dealers, who sold them on the street for a profit. The dealers came up with the money to buy the drugs and sometimes paid Hollier directly for the prescriptions.
Padron, 54, of Garland, pleaded guilty in September to his role in conspiracy and faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine.
Padron and his office manager, Jose L. Martinez, 54, of Flower Mound, operated the scheme out of Padron Wellness Clinic on Emerald Isle Drive in Dallas. They opened the clinic in the fall of 2010.
The dealers drove the patients in groups to the clinic. They and Martinez also were convicted on Monday. The dealers are Joesephis Austin, 60, of Dallas, Patricia A. Bryant, 59, of Dallas, and Walter R. Hudspeth, 62, of Dallas.
Padron did little or no physical examinations at his clinic and prescribed a “cocktail” of drugs, including hydrocodone and alprazolam. He would sometimes see two or more patients at a time and falsely diagnose them with lower back pain and anxiety.
Hollier filled the prescriptions from her pharmacy, Urban Independent Pharmacy, on Samuell Boulevard.
Padron has also pleaded guilty in an unrelated case to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
quoted herehttp://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/dallas-pharmacist-and-four-others-convicted-in-illegal-prescription-drug-scheme.html/