{"id":15305,"date":"2015-09-07T16:24:52","date_gmt":"2015-09-07T23:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=15305"},"modified":"2015-09-07T16:24:52","modified_gmt":"2015-09-07T23:24:52","slug":"doctor-and-18-others-indicted-for-distributing-prescription-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=15305","title":{"rendered":"Doctor and 18 Others Indicted for Distributing Prescription Drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"

LITTLE ROCK<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\"Molly<\/a>A federal indictment named a Little Rock doctor and 18 others as part of a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, federal officials said.<\/p>\n

The Indictment, returned by a federal grand jury last week, charges\u00a0Dr. Richard Johns, 49, of Little Rock, and 18 others operated the pharmaceutical drug activity in\u00a0Lonoke, White, and Pulaski Counties.<\/p>\n

Johns was charged in Lonoke County on May 18 with similar offenses.<\/p>\n

On May 18, the Lonoke County Sheriff\u2019s Office took Dr. Johns into custody charging him with 187 counts of Fraudulent Practices, a class C state felony.<\/p>\n

This investigation first began November 2014 when detectives responded to an overdose death of an individual in Cabot.<\/p>\n

The Sheriff\u2019s Office got help from the DEA and began a joint investigation into the doctor and the suspected criminal enterprise headed by Dr. Johns, according to officials.<\/p>\n

The investigation determined that 187 fraudulent prescriptions<\/strong> had been filled and distributed since July 2014 within the illicit market in Lonoke County alone, officials said.<\/p>\n

The prescriptions totaled approximately 16,830 oxycodone pills<\/strong> with a street value of $505,000.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In May 2015, DEA, as part of Operation Pilluted, announced the return of two indictments charging 46 defendants, including physicians, pharmacists, and nurses, with the illicit distribution of pharmaceuticals in the Central Arkansas area.<\/p>\n

In total, Operation Pilluted in Arkansas has led to six federal indictments charging 113 defendants, including five doctors.<\/p>\n

During the course of the ongoing investigation, officials state DEA determined that Dr. Johns was part of a distribution network spanning other counties in which he would write oxycodone prescriptions in individuals\u2019 names, selling them for $500 each.<\/p>\n

Co-conspirators would bring names and dates of birth to Dr. Johns with the intent of buying a prescription for oxycodone.<\/p>\n

Dr. Johns would issue the prescription without examining the individual, and in many cases, without ever having met the individual. Prescriptions were filled at local pharmacies, and the oxycodone tablets sold in the community for $30 each, according to authorities.<\/p>\n

Several co-conspirators acknowledged purchasing such fraudulent prescriptions from Dr. Johns since 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs alleged in the indictment, the doctor writing these fraudulent prescriptions is no different than a common, street-level drug dealer on the street, and should be treated as such,\u201d said Christopher R. Thyer, U.S.attorney in Arkansas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adding, “As a society we have granted certain health care professionals the right to prescribe and use highly addictive drugs to treat their patients. When that right is abused, we will aggressively pursue those health care professionals as the criminals that they are. I am pleased that this doctor and his network have been stopped, and this office will continue to target the doctors, pharmacists, and other health-care providers who illegally allow these dangerous and highly addictive drugs to end up on our streets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DEA<\/a>In January 2014, as part of a national effort, the DEA New Orleans Field Division, which includes the DEA Little Rock office, launched an aggressive campaign that targeted the largest sources of illegally diverted pharmaceuticals in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.<\/p>\n

This effort, dubbed Operation Pilluted, involved the extensive investigation of rogue practitioners, pharmacists, and other DEA Registrants, as well as the aggressive pursuit of more traditional criminal organizations involved in the distribution of pharmaceuticals.<\/p>\n

Under the auspices of Operation Pilluted, concerted efforts were initiated to heighten community awareness concerning the perils of prescription drug diversion and the strategic implementation\/strengthening of associated diverted pharmaceutical laws.<\/p>\n

(May 2015 TV News Report)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

An indictment contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.<\/p>\n

Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule II controlled substances<\/p>\n

RICHARD DUANE JOHNS, 49, Little Rock
\nDAVID LARU.S.ROGGINS, 56, Cabot
\nMARISSA DONANN SCROGGINS, 29, Cabot
\nCHRISTOPHER DAVID SCROGGINS, 36, Cabot
\nDONNA MICHELLE CEARNS, 28 Cabot
\nVANESSA E. BYRD, 29, Ward
\nRANDY JAMES BYRD, 28, Ward
\nJAMES JASON WASHAM, 38, Scott
\nJERRI D. WASHAM, 33, Scott
\nCHRISTINE MARIE ZEMAN, 46, Lonoke
\nMEGAN BROOKE MCCONNELL, 25, Judsonia
\nGREGORY CHASE MCCONNELL, 24, Judsonia
\nARON SCOT COCHRAN, 26, Searcy
\nSCOTTY WAYNE FERREN, JR., 25, Searcy
\nJASON RAY BEAUDRY, 29, Searcy
\nDUSTIN R. BULLOCK, 27, Searcy
\nCHARLES LESTER MASON, 69, Searcy
\nJOSHUA DAVID RINGER, 29, Searcy
\nJAMES VERNON SPIKER, JR., 28, Judsonia
\nSTATUTORY SENTENCES<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LITTLE ROCK A federal indictment named a Little Rock doctor and 18 others as part of a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, federal officials said. The Indictment, returned by a federal grand jury…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,3],"tags":[1723,23,1594,1384,405],"class_list":["post-15305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-main-slider","category-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-dea","tag-drugs","tag-little-rock","tag-operation-pilluted","tag-oxycodone"],"yoast_head":"\nDoctor and 18 Others Indicted in Wide-Range Drug Distribution<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A federal indictment named a Little Rock doctor and 18 others as part of a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, federal officials said.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=15305\" \/>\n<meta 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