See updates to this story:
Jan. 31, 3:20 p.m.: Lilburn 'Pill Mill' Suspects Post Bail
Jan. 29, 11:30 a.m.: Initial Hearing Set for 'Pill Mill' Defendants
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The U.S. Attorney's Office released Monday details regarding the arrests of four individuals suspected of running an illegal pain clinic in Lilburn.
Those indicted and arrested on federal drug and distribution charges were:
- Larry Webman, 64, of Florida, an owner of the facility
- Randy Webman, 59, of Florida, an owner of the facility and brother of Larry Webman
- Dara Webman, 29, an office manager and the daughter of Randy Webman
- Dr. George Williams, 45, of Duluth, who is suspected of writing suspicious prescriptions for patients
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the four suspects were indicted on Jan. 22 for "illegally selling and distributing prescriptions for opiate-based narcotics and other controlled substances to addicts and drug dealers under the guise of a pain clinic."
Additionally, they were charged with unlawfully distributing drugs near a school. Berkmar High School is immediately adjacent to the parking lot where the pain clinic, Premier Medical Management, Inc., is located.
The U.S. Attorney's Office announcement comes just days after a raid on the Lilburn pain clinic, located at 3993 Lawrenceville Highway, Suite 101. Drug Enforcement Administration agents, members of the Gwinnett Metro Narcotics Task Force, as well as the Lilburn Police Department descended on the clinic on Jan. 24.
The following day, Lilburn Police Chief Bruce Hedley spoke to Patch about the department's involvement. "My No. 1 priority was to dismantle that illegal enterprise and shut them down because they're doing nothing but spreading poison in our community," he said.
"Unscrupulous doctors illegally exploiting their license to prescribe controlled substances represent an increasing source of deadly illicit drugs in our communities," United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a press release. "The storefronts from which these criminal enterprises operate threaten the safety of our children and the security of our neighborhoods."
Suspected Operation Ties
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the pain clinic was operated illegally since February 2012. About that time, the city of Lilburn issued a moratorium on pain clinics in attempt to get ahead of other such businesses.
In the indictment, Larry Webman and Randy Webman are accused of managing and controlling the clinic, but deferring to Williams on prescribing large amounts of narcotics. Officials suspect that Williams was "routinely prescribing controlled substances outside the course of professional medical practice and without legitimate medical purposes."
In addition, Dara Webman is charged with handing out Williams' prescriptions to customers in exchange for cash payments.
According to federal officials, the clinic saw as many as 60 customers daily and received $250 to $350 for office visits. Patients were "almost always leaving with a prescription for controlled substances, which often included oxycodone, a highly addictive painkiller," officials said in a press release.
After brief, initial visits, officials suspect that patients received additional prescriptions -- pre-signed by Williams -- for controlled substances. "Almost all customers paid cash, and Larry Webman and Randy Webman personally oversaw the collection of the clinic’s receipts," officials said in a press release.
As many as 95 percent of the patients came from outside of the state, Lilburn's Police Chief said. States included: Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida.
Property Forfeiture Sought
On the day of the raid, law enforcement officials collected evidence, including office records and interviewed patients present.
Now, federal authorities seek forfeiture of all property used in and derived from the operation of the Lilburn pain clinic and Williams’ license to practice medicine. A gynecologist, Williams studied at both Meharry Medical College in Tennessee and Wayne State University in Michigan, and has been licensed since 2004.
"The dispensing of addictive prescription pain medication under the guise of a doctor’s care, as occurred in this investigation, is not about the good of the community or an individual’s specific health needs; it is about greed," said Harry S. Sommers, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Atlanta Field Division. "Make no mistake; those involved in 'pill mill' activity are in fact drug dealers."
In addition to the aforementioned agencies, the Interntal Revenue Service also worked on the investigation of Premier Medical Management.
Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000,000.
See also:
- Police Chief: No. 1 Priority 'To Dismantle That Illegal Enterprise'
- Lilburn Sets Pain Clinic Standards
- Lilburn City Council Meeting Notes
So seeking assistance for my injuries and life crippling pain from Premier automatically brands me as an addict and drug dealer. The utter sheer hypocrisy and slanderous lying scumbag excuse for human beings every single one of you who work for this hypocritical government represent is totally astounding. And not ONE SINGLE HYPOCRITE IN THE BUNCH CAN OFFER ONE SINGLE LOGICAL EXPLANATION FOR WHY THEY RIDE BY FIFTY LIQUOR STORES TO SHUT DOWN A PAIN CLINIC! EVERY SINGLE HUMAN SCUMBAG OFFICIAL OR PRIVATE ENTITY OR PERSON WHO IS A PARTY TO THIS SHIT IS A LYING STINKING WORTHLESS GOOD FOR NOTHING HYPOCRIT! Now that I've gotten that off my chest I plan to spend some bandwidth exposing more of these liars and hypocrits for what they really are. And I CHALLENGE and stinking one of you hypocrits to give me a straight answer that actually responds to this challenge.
The truth is these people do not distribute drugs to anyone. They administer pain management that includes prescriptions for medications that have been labeled as specific classes of chemicals based on several avenues of criteria. So this charge will have to be thrown out but that isn't what these lying stinking hypocrites were after anyway. They only wanted to shut down this clinic cause some of Lilburn's lying stinking hypocrites decided they didn't like it.
God, where do I start? Obviously Sally doesn't consider the deaths of twenty million people a year from alcohol to be that big a deal or threat to the safety of our children and security of our neighborhoods. Jesus Christ Sally but you are what a lying hypocrite is made of. So tell me sumpin honey, why you got a hard on for the pain clinics but turn the other hypocritical cheek to the liquor rot gut poison makers and their illegal distribution if we base the results on its effect on our children and the security of our neighborhoods? What a bunch of worthless no count excuse for government officials you people are. Your hypocrisy and lies stretch the imagination and how you can utter such complete hypocritical bullshit in front of a camera makes your kind of slutty scumbag example of government action so demeaning to the generous kindhearted taxpayers of this "Once-Great-Nation".
At least this guy isn't afraid to address the real issues, the only problem being he is placing the onus of such on the wrong doorstep...and he damn well knows it. My doctor/patient relationship is none of his damn business, but I'm not afraid to share that experience with anyone who might care to listen. Dr. Williams was my pain management doctor for almost a year. In that time he changed my treatments four different times to help me find a regimen that worked for me. In my long grueling experience with my condition this kind of attention was a godsend. But, by far, the most help I received at Premier was from physical therapy. Now my records are missing and my condition remains...untreated. I have to start all over again trying to find a doctor like Dr. Williams and a physical therapist like Earl and I seriously doubt that will happen any time soon. But the issue should be about the community and the health of individuals...and that is what makes this a travesty of justice! Power drunk idiots like this Summers cat.
Well Mr. Summers...it takes one to know one, doesn't it...boy.