Jasper County Doctor Pleads Guilty to Illegal Distribution of Controlled Substances

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that on August 26, 2010, REGINALD L. VERNIER, M. D., age 54, of Newton, Illinois, pled guilty in United States District Court in Benton, Illinois, to two counts of distribution of a controlled substance. The first count alleged that the controlled substance was Methadone, and the second count alleged that the controlled substance was Hydrocodone. The offenses involved prescriptions written outside the course of professional medical practice. The first offense carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and not less than three years’ supervised release following imprisonment. The second offense carries up to10 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and up to three years’ supervised release. Sentencing is currently scheduled for December 13, 2010, in Benton, Illinois.

This case was investigated by agents of the United States Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Illinois State Police as part of the ongoing Project Dr. Feelgood investigations in the Southern District of Illinois. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Quinley and William E. Coonan handled the prosecution.