A physician assistant at two Houston-based clinics was convicted May 20 for distributing more than 1.2 million opioid pills, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Charles Thompson, 76, illegally prescribed controlled substances from June 2015 to July 2016, according to court documents and evidence presented at trial.
Mr. Thompson helped a physician unlawfully prescribe hydrocodone and carisoprodol to thousands of people posing as patients. So-called "runners" brought people posing as patients and paid the clinic roughly $220 to $500 in cash for each visit.
The clinics, West Parker Medical Clinic and Priority Wellness Clinic, made about $1.75 million from prescriptions, from which Mr. Thompson was paid more than $208,000, the Justice Department said. A jury previously convicted James Pierre, the physician who worked at the clinic, of unlawfully prescribing more than 1 million opioid pills.
Mr. Thompson was convicted of one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances and seven counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances and faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of conviction.