A terminally ill Florida doctor arrested on a luxury yacht loaded with drugs, firearms and “prostitutes” during a police raid in Nantucket Harbor avoided jail time on Tuesday.
Scott Anthony Burke pleaded guilty to four charges stemming from a September 2023 arrest and received a year of probation. Nantucket Current.
The 70-year-old retired doctor was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of a class A drug with intent to sell, possession of a firearm without an FID card and possession of ammunition without an FID card.
Burke was arrested during a search of an 82-foot yacht named the Jess Conn after police received a call saying a 33-year-old woman had overdosed and “didn’t want to be there,” according to a police report.
The woman was found by police lying in bed, awake but “extremely lethargic” and had told friends that all the passengers had been using drugs all weekend.
During the search, agents found approximately 43 grams of cocaine, 14 grams of ketamine, one .380 caliber pistol, three 30-round 9mm caliber magazines and one 12-round magazine loaded into a 9mm caliber pistol.
Prostitutes were also found on board. ReportedlyHowever, Burke was never charged with prostitution after her arrest.
During the phone conversation, the woman also revealed that some of the passengers on board had been making pornographic films during weekend get-togethers.
Police said Burke was “extremely uncooperative” and claimed he was unaware there were illegal drugs on board, according to a police affidavit. Retrieved from Current.
Burke told police the woman was an employee who had been hired several weeks earlier and that a friend of the woman was also staying on the boat.
Days after the arrest, Burke’s lawyer, Brennan, revealed that his client had stage four terminal cancer and didn’t have much time to live.
A spokesman for the office of Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert J. Garibois said Burke’s health condition influenced his decision to plead guilty. He told the Boston Globe On Thursday.
“While the case was pending, we learned the defendant was undergoing treatment for terminal cancer. Taking into account his age, lack of a criminal record and his health, we agreed to the terms of the suspension,” spokesman Daniel Whitney said.
Burke was also charged with four counts of possessing a large capacity firearm, two counts of possessing a firearm without an FID card, one count of possessing a class A drug and one count of possessing ammunition without an FID card in relation to the same incident, but all charges were dismissed.
According to the Current, the retired doctor practices in Colorado, where he founded Denver Spine and Rehabilitation, and most recently served as CEO of Injury Finance LLC, a company that provides medical lien services for third-party compensation claims.
He has since moved to Florida and lives in the ultra-exclusive Ocean Reef Club, where residents are “richer than God.”
