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Physician and Clinic Office Manager Convicted of Operating Pill Mill
A federal jury has convicted a Texas physician and clinic office manager of operating a pill mill in Houston. Dr. Oscar Lightner, 73, and Andres Martinez Jr., 29, both of Laredo, were found guilty of running Jomori Health and Wellness, a pain management clinic, as a front for opioid trafficking.
According to court documents, Lightner, the owner and physician of Jomori, prescribed over 600,000 opioid pills, including hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and alprazolam, to patients without a legitimate medical purpose in exchange for cash payments ranging from $250 to $500 per patient. Martinez, the office manager and Lightner’s stepson, coordinated with ‘crew leaders’ to bring multiple people, including individuals living in homeless shelters, into Jomori to pose as patients.
Jomori received over $1.2 million in cash over fourteen months through its scheme, resulting in the unlawful distribution and dispensing of over 600,000 Schedule II opioids and other controlled substances. Lightner and Martinez face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count and are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 8.
The DEA investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Monica Cooper and Andrew Tamayo of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. The Fraud Section leads the Justice Department’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program.
Since March 2007, the program has charged more than 5,000 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $24 billion. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas, and Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the DEA made the announcement.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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