Two South Florida doctors are accused of filling thousands of unlawful painkiller prescriptions at cash-only clinics termed "pill mills" by federal authorities, the Miami Herald reported.
Victor H. Espinosa, 57, of Fort Lauderdale, was charged with conspiring to dispense painkillers for no legitimate purpose at East Medical Office in Hialeah, according to a criminal complaint. In an indictment, Rodolfo Gonzalez-Garcia, 65, of Weston, was charged in connection with an unlawful painkiller dispensing scheme at West Medical Office in Hialeah, the newspaper reported.
The cases were investigated by the Justice Department's Medicare Fraud Strike Force, the Herald reported.
Federal prosecutors alleged that recruiters brought patients to the clinics to receive prescriptions for painkillers like oxycodone. The recruiters paid the patients’ medical fees and allowed them to keep some of the painkillers while reselling the remainder on the black market, according to the newspaper.
According to the criminal complaint, Espinosa prescribed 119, 534 oxycodone tablets, according to the Herald.
Both doctors appeared in a Miami federal court and will return to court on Tuesday, the newspaper reported.
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