Dr. William Bacon, Dr. Donatus O. Mbanefo, Conspiracy to Dispense Controlled Substances, Georgia 2018

Doctors Found Guilty in Georgia Pill Mills Case

VALDOSTA, Georgia - Dr. William Bacon, age 82, and Dr. Donatus O. Mbanefo, age 64, were found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to dispense controlled substances outside the usual course of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose at clinics in Valdosta, Georgia and Columbus, Georgia.

The trial was held before Senior District Judge Hugh Lawson between May 29 and June 13, 2018 in Valdosta.

Evidence presented during the trial of the case showed that in June 2011, co-conspirators Carol Neema Biggs, a/k/a Carol Johnson; Nilija Biggs and Junior Alexander Biggs formed the Wellness Center of Valdosta (WCV), located at 2016 E. Adair Street, to operate as a pain clinic.

Dr. Bacon began working there in September 2011 and saw patients until the clinic closed. The evidence showed that the clinic saw unrealistically large numbers of patients daily, accepted no forms of insurance or government benefits but took cash payments only of between $250 to $325 to see a patient.

The doctors at the clinic saw an abnormally large number of patients from out of state, including some from as far away as Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, who often traveled in groups to the clinic.

The evidence showed that the clinic offered no diagnostic testing, required only a paper MRI report, and that Dr. Bacon performed only cursory medical examinations.

No alternative treatments outside prescribing large quantities of a “cocktail” of pain medications and other controlled substances were offered to patients.

The “cocktail” generally included such highly addictive controlled substances as Oxycodone and Xanax, but also included Hydromorphone, Hydrocodone, Soma, Valium and Ambien.

A number of pharmacies and regulatory agencies called the clinic with concerns about the types and amounts of controlled substances prescribed.

During the approximately 27 months during which Dr. Bacon worked at the Wellness Center of Valdosta, he wrote more than 29,000 prescriptions for controlled substances.

Those included prescriptions for more than 1.8 million Oxycodone pills and more than 700,000 Xanax and Soma pills.

In June 2012, in furtherance of the conspiracy, Carol and Junior Biggs opened another pain clinic in Columbus known as the Relief Institute of Columbus.

The Relief Institute of Columbus employed a number of doctors but evidence at the trial showed that clinic operated in the same fashion as the Wellness Center of Valdosta to unlawfully dispense controlled substances.

At some point in mid-2013, the name of the clinic was changed to Tri-City Spinal Center, briefly, and it relocated to 7661 Kayne Blvd in order to avoid suspicion related to the clinic’s practices, but the purpose and operation did not change.

Dr. Mbanefo saw patients at the Relief Institute between mid-March 2013 and mid-June 2013.

During that three month period of time, Dr. Mbanefo wrote more than 2,900 prescriptions for controlled substances.

Those included prescriptions for more than 127,000 Oxycodone pills and more than 43,000 Xanax and Soma pills.

evidence at the trial also showed that on April 8, 2013, Dr. Mbanefo prescribed large quantities of Oxycodone and Xanax to an undercover agent, who had no legitimate medical issues, with only a cursory medical examination and without discussing the dangers or addictive nature of those drugs.

On June 5, 2013, Dr. Mbanefo prescribed the same undercover agent Oxycodone, Hydromorphone and Xanax, without a legitimate medical purpose.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/doctors-found-guilty-role-valdosta-and-columbus-pill-mills