Cindy Louise Hyche Dunn, Thomas Mason Dunn, Dr. John Ladd Buckingham, Operating a Pill Mill, Alabama 2015
Alabama Trio Indicted for Operating Moody Pill Mill
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - In a shocking revelation, a federal grand jury has indicted a Springville couple and a Moody physician on charges of operating a pill mill in St. Clair County for four years.
The indictment alleges that Cindy Louise Hyche Dunn, 53, her husband Thomas Mason Dunn, 56, and Dr. John Ladd Buckingham, 85, conspired to operate the clinic, Cindy Dunn & Dr. Buckingham, M.D., Weight Loss Clinic and Pain Management (CDPM), from January 2012 through December 2015.
The object of the conspiracy was for the participants to enrich themselves, according to the indictment. The group unlawfully dispensed a controlled substance, all containing opioids, to multiple patients. In disregard for usual standards of professional medical practice, Cindy Dunn, Buckingham and other co-conspirators prescribed more than 13,500 methadone-based pills to one patient and more than 8,200 oxycodone-based pills to another patient.
Cindy Dunn, owner and president of CDPM, operated the clinic, including hiring and directing physicians and staff and making financial decisions. She mainly hired relatives as clerical staff and, for the vast majority of the clinic's operation, did not employ formally trained nurses or medical assistants.
Thomas Dunn performed various administrative and financial duties for CDPM and received prescriptions for opioids from the clinic, according to the indictment. Buckingham was a licensed physician in Alabama, but was not a certified pain management specialist.
The indictment includes 20 counts, 16 of which charge Cindy Dunn and Buckingham with unlawfully dispensing a controlled substance. The trio faces a serious battle in court as the Northern District of Alabama is committed to the fight against opioid abuse and has joined the department's pilot Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit.
The indictment is a serious step in the fight against opioid abuse and the Northern District of Alabama is committed to taking action. The abuse of prescription drugs is a serious problem in our communities, leading to addiction, shattered lives, and even death.
The case will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant/Respondent: Cindy Louise Hyche Dunn, Thomas Mason Dunn, Dr. John Ladd Buckingham
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to operate a clinic in Moody for the main purpose of illegally distributing or dispensing controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
City and State: Birmingham, Alabama
Exact Date: Wednesday
Sentence or Outcome: Indicted, awaiting trial
Dollar Amounts: Not applicable
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →