Andres Martinez, Jr., $1.2M Pill Mill Scheme, Texas 2024

A Houston medical clinic office manager has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for operating a pill mill clinic that unlawfully distributed over 600,000 opioid pills.

Andres Martinez, Jr., 30, was convicted of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances and conspiracy alongside 74-year-old Dr. Oscar Lightner, both of Laredo.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Martinez, Lightner's stepson, coordinated with crew leaders to bring multiple people, including individuals living in homeless shelters, into Jomori Health and Wellness (Jomori), a purported Houston pain management clinic, to pose as patients and obtain prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances.

Jomori received over $1.2 million in cash over 14 months through the scheme, resulting in the unlawful distribution and dispensing of more than 600,000 opioids and other controlled substances.

U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced the sentencing, which was ordered by Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal.

Lightner was previously sentenced to seven years in federal prison for his role in the scheme.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with assistance from the Fraud Section's Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program.

The program has charged over 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion since March 2007.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/clinic-office-manager-sentenced-12m-pill-mill-scheme