Texas Doctor Found Guilty in Online Pharmacy Scam

A Texan doctor and a Texan pharmacy owner have both pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges.

The conspiracy, a web-based pharmacy that doled out highly dangerous and highly addictive opiates, earned millions by illegally prescribing drugs without patient examination, patient medical history, verification of patient complaints, or testing. The drugs were priced much more expensive than their legal counterparts and were only paid for in cash.

The Texan doctor, David Hoblit, will be spending the next 18 months in a federal prison. He was also required to pay $435,000 in fines. The pharmacy owner, Ghassan Naddaf, was only sentenced to a year in federal prison, but will be required to pay $1.8 million in fines.

The ring leader was a clinic owner from New York. He has been found guilty but a sentence has not yet been determined. He was convicted on 5 counts and will also be required to pay the government $28.3 million. If given the maximum penalty, he will be sentenced to 45 years in prison.