TEXAS
A federal jury last week found a Houston physician and the owner of a pain management clinic guilty last week for their roles in running a “pill mill” that provided tens of thousands of unlawful prescriptions for millions of doses of opioids and other controlled substances.A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled before U.S. District Judge David Hittner of the Southern District of Texas, who presided over the trial.
Both defendants were remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
According to evidence presented at trial, from March 2015 through July 2017, Craig, a licensed doctor, and Faithful, the clinic owner, ran Gulfton Community Health Center (Gulfton), which operated as an illegal pill mill.
The evidence showed that Craig unlawfully wrote approximately 18,252 prescriptions for over 2.1 million dosage units of hydrocodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, and approximately 15,649 prescriptions for over 1.3 million dosage units of carisporodal, a Schedule IV controlled substance.
The combination of hydrocodone and carisoprodol is a dangerous drug cocktail with no known medical benefit, the evidence showed.
The trial evidence showed that Craig issued unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances to as many as 60 patients a day.
“Crew leaders” ferried numerous patients to Gulfton so that Craig could provide them with unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances. Faithful and Craig charged approximately $300 for each prescription and required payment in cash.
The evidence also revealed that the defendants divided each day’s cash proceeds, often in excess of $15,000, from the sale of the unlawful prescriptions.
Faithful and Craig made great efforts to prevent law enforcement from investigating Gulfton, the evidence showed.
For example, they banned the use of any electronic devices in the clinic and prevented anyone from bringing bags into Gulfton. Approximately four armed security guards also patrolled Gulfton daily to control the crowds of people, who ranged from addicts to “crew leaders.”
After a nine-day trial, Gazelle Craig, D.O., 41, and Shane Faithful, 48, both of Houston, Texas, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and three counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances.