Myra Sue Miller, Misusing DEA Registration, West Virginia 2010

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In a major blow to the illicit prescription drug trade, former Mingo County pill mill office manager Myra Sue Miller was sentenced to six months in federal prison for misusing a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration number that did not belong to her.

On February 17, 2010, Miller used the DEA registration number assigned to former Mingo County doctor William F. Ryckman to illegally distribute the painkiller hydrocodone, as well as the prescription drug alprazolam, also known as “Xanax.” Miller was the office manager at Mountain Medical, formerly located in Williamson, W.Va.

According to court documents, Dr. Ryckman, 66, was convicted in March 2012 of conspiracy to misuse a DEA registration number and sentenced to six months in prison followed by one year of supervised release.

During the scheme, Miller faxed several blank “doctor’s lists” from Ryckman’s Williamson office to Dr. Ryckman, who was residing in Pennsylvania. To further the scheme, Ryckman signed and faxed the lists and sent them back to Miller at his office in Mingo County. With Ryckman’s authorization, the lists were improperly used to prescribe painkillers to people who were not evaluated or seen by a physician.

As the office manager, Miller directed individuals under her authority to fill in blank doctor’s lists with information that included patients' names, prescription type, strength, and quantity. The lists were then faxed to local pharmacies in order to be filled and dispensed. Miller also admitted that while Dr. Ryckman was absent from his Williamson office on February 18 and 19, 2010, she accepted cash fees from individuals who arrived at Mountain Medical. She later directed individuals to one of at least two pharmacies located in Mingo County to obtain prescriptions for hydrocodone and Xanax.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the West Virginia State Police, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney John Frail handled the prosecution.

Miller agreed to forfeit her interest in the clinic building and personal assets totaling $475,823.75. She was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

This case was prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers in communities across the Southern District.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/former-mingo-pill-mill-office-manager-sentenced-prison-time