Indictment in Prescription Drug Scheme
A personal score was indicted during the initial Trump administration regarding a significant prescription drug trafficking operation. This scheme involved several “pill mill” clinics and led to the illegal distribution of millions of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and carisoprodol pills. Medical professionals involved prioritized profit over public health.
The current administration has notably intensified efforts to combat fraud, bringing to justice at least one key participant in this network.
A federal jury recently convicted Barbara Marino, a 65-year-old prescriber from Tomball, Texas. She was the only prescriber at Angels Clinica in Houston and faced charges including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. The Department of Justice made this announcement exclusively to media.
Marino could potentially face over 20 years in prison for each of her five charges.
According to Colin MacDonald, an Assistant Attorney General with the Justice Department, physicians who misuse their prescribing power for financial gain undermine the trust patients place in them. The DOJ remains dedicated to safeguarding the public from the distribution of illegal and hazardous drugs, especially when those drugs are dispensed by medical professionals.
Marino, who received her medical license in Texas in 1990, prescribed over a million pills of controlled substances through her clinic, which has now permanently closed. The clinic was located in a strip mall in Houston, and a related entity called Angels Medical has yet to respond to requests for comments.
Between September 2018 and August 2019, Marino prescribed around 1.06 million controlled substance tablets. Among these, about 518,000 were hydrocodone, 65,000 were oxycodone, and roughly 416,000 were carisoprodol.
Evidence from the trial showed that many patients visiting Marino’s cash-only clinic were believed to be drug mules, working for traffickers to sell drugs on the streets. This operation proved to be highly lucrative.
Allegations indicate that Marino, who claimed to be an addiction expert, earned over $400,000 from the clinic owner for writing prescriptions without legitimate medical justification. Testimony revealed that she frequently prescribed addictive drugs with little consultation.
In one alarming case, she prescribed a risky combination of hydrocodone and carisoprodol to a pregnant woman in her third trimester, putting both the mother and fetus at risk, as noted by the woman’s obstetrician.
Another concerning incident involved a mentally fragile patient diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia, whom Marino prescribed potent drugs on multiple occasions.
As Cheri Oz from the Drug Enforcement Administration pointed out, patients place their lives in the hands of healthcare professionals. In this situation, drugs like oxycodone and hydrocodone, meant to alleviate pain, were misused, highlighting a significant public health issue. The DEA is committed to pursuing those who exploit the healthcare system and harm communities through such actions.
