Indictment: Doctors recruited patients in 'pill mill' scheme

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — An unsealed indictment reveals how doctors involved in an alleged metro area pill mill scheme operated in multiple states and recruited patients to bring in more profits.

Channel 2’s Rachel Stockman spoke to a patient, who says he was never even examined by the doctor at Innovative Pain Management before being prescribed several strong medications.

“He just rushed me through the office,” said Richard Williams. “He didn't ask me any questions. He didn't get any exams. I didn't fill out any paperwork.”

Channel 2 Action News was the only crew there as DEA agents raided the clinic on Upper Hembree Road on Thursday and arrested the doctor in charge, Dr. Oscar Stokes.

“The only thing the doctor asked me for was my name and a picture ID,” said Williams.

Stokes’ clinic is one of three clinics in the metro area raided by the DEA last week. The others included Atlanta Pain Rehabilitation, which is located right next to a day care in southwest Atlanta.

On Sunday, Stockman obtained the unsealed indictment naming Dr. Romie Roland and seven others in a scheme that involved prescribing oxycodone, morphine pills, and other drugs "without a legitimate medical purposed for prescribing them."

According to federal investigators, several people would “sponsor patients” for multiple visits and then the pain pills were re-sold for profits.

The indictment says, “Specifically, they would contact the clinics and schedule visits for multiple patients. These defendants would supervise visits, financing the costs of both seeing the doctor, as well as filling the prescriptions. The goal of this sponsorship was to procure multiple prescriptions for controlled substances.”

“If you give a person the wrong type of medication, it could put them in some type of shock,” said Williams.

Both doctors entered not guilty pleas and were released on bond. So far, Channel 2 Action News has been unable to reach them for comment

WSBTV