Home Louisville Press Releases 2009 Local Doctor Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
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Local Doctor Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances

U.S. Attorney’s Office July 13, 2009
  • Eastern District of Kentucky (859) 233-2661

COVINGTON, KY—An Augusta, Kentucky doctor admitted in federal court today that he received nearly $600,000 for illegally distributing prescription drugs as part of a drug trafficking conspiracy.

Dr. Milton Brindley, 66, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose. He was taken into federal custody immediately after his guilty plea was accepted.

In the course of his guilty plea, Brindley admitted that over a four-year period ending in June of 2007, he illegally distributed pills containing 45.6 grams of oxycodone as well as more than 80,000 pills for other controlled substances including hydrocodone, benzphetamine, codeine, phentermine, clonazepam, diazepam, carisoprodol, and lorazepam in exchange for cash and other favors.

According to the plea agreement, certain members of the conspiracy acted as transporters to recruit other individuals to join the conspiracy and bring them to Dr. Brindley’s medical office in Augusta. The transporters paid for the doctor visits and paid Dr. Brindley an additional fee for each prescription for controlled substances issued to the patients.

The transporters themselves received prescriptions for controlled substances from Dr. Brindley in return for money or for bringing the other patients to the office.

The transporters took the prescriptions to the pharmacy, paid to have them filled and split the pills with the other individuals posing as patients and subsequently sold those pills. Brindley admitted that he issued these prescriptions outside the usual course of his medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. Brindley agreed to the forfeiture of over $35,000 in currency, his interest in the real estate containing his medical office, and a large quantity of pornography seized from that office. He also agreed to a judgment in the amount of over $591,000 against him to represent to gross proceeds he received for these illegal actions.

Brindley was indicted in December 2008. James A. Zerhusen, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Robert L. Corso, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Timothy D. Cox, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, jointly made the announcement today after Brindley entered his guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Kentucky State Police. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Bracke and Alamdar Hamdani.

Brindley is currently scheduled to appear for sentencing before United States District Court Judge Danny C. Reeves in Covington, Ky., on October 26, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. Brindley faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of sentences.

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