Doctors caught in a prescription drug ring have been charged. A long list of physicians in Detroit, Michigan have been charged by the federal government for taking part in a $5.7 million drug ring, which consisted of having real doctors teaming up with fake patients to peddle prescription pain pills in the black market.
Three Doctors caught in a prescription drug ring have been hit with some heavy charges. On Wednesday, residents in Detroit, Michigan woke up to the breaking news about three of their local doctors – Dr. Boris Zigmond, Dr. Jennifer Franklin, and Dr. Carlos Godoy – getting caught running a $5.7 million drug ring.
It is estimated that the doctors, who threw their Hippocratic Oath out the window, were able to push roughly 1 million painkillers such as Roxicodone and the generic version Oxycodone on the streets of Detroit between 2013 and 2015.
Federal prosecutors unsealed a superseding indictment that showed, the ringleader, Dr. Boris Zigmond, came up with an elaborate system, which consisted of securing prescriptions for painkillers by fake patients that could be filled by a large group of crooked pharmacists. Once the orders were filled, the pills were funneled into the black market.
Zigmond, 50, who was arrested in Florida about a year ago for his involvement in the prescription drug ring made sure his hands were clean – he never had contact with the fake patients and never wrote prescriptions. Instead, he arranged for 39-year-old Dr. Jennifer Franklin, of Harrison Township, and 78-year-old Dr. Carlos Godoy, of Farmington Hills, to see the faux clients.
According to the documents, Zigmond was also charged with money laundering. U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in a statement:
“Diversion of prescription pills to the street market promotes the addiction to painkillers that leads to overdose deaths. We are focusing on charging doctors, pharmacists and the networks that are putting this poison on the streets.”
According to the indictment, the nine people, who were charged are:
Dr. Boris Zigmond
Dr. Jennifer Franklin
Dr. Carlos Godoy
Rodney Knight
Tara Marcia Jackson
Sashanti Morris
Anna Fradlis
Maryna Pitsenko
Svetlana Sribna
Marina Jacobs
