Tuesday, 13 April 2010

Doctor accused of providing drugs to addicts to be sentenced | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Doctor accused of providing drugs to addicts to be sentenced | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times: "Dr. Daniel J. Healy 'nothing more than a drug dealer in a lab coat' who 'created and nurtured an army of addicted customers.' Some patients referred to him as 'the Candyman,' according to the documents.
Healy, 54, has pleaded guilty to one count of dispensing oxycodone without a legitimate medical purpose; other counts were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea. Prosecutors have asked U.S. District Judge Manuel Real to send him to federal prison for more than 17 years. Healy's defense attorney has asked that his client be sentenced to less than five years.
Healy ordered more than 1 million tablets of hydrocodone in 2008 -- 10 times more than the average American pharmacy, according to government records. The drug, better known by the brand names Vicodin and Norco, is an addictive painkiller for which there is a thriving black market, particularly among teenagers and young adults.
Healy allegedly hauled in so much cash that he kept an automatic money-counting machine in his office to quickly sort through the thousands of dollars that came in on a daily basis"