Sokari Bobmanuel, the former pharmacist-in-chief of Cornerstone Rx Pharmacy in Houston, and co-conspirator Alantha Stewart, the co-owner of Sunnyside Medical clinic were sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison for their roles in running a pill mill operation.
Ms. Bobmanuel was convicted at trial of illegally distributing nearly 160,000 opioid pills based on prescriptions issued by other co-conspirators from Sunnyside Medical. She allegedly profited $1 million after charging $1,200 per opioid prescription and distributing the "controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice, and without a legitimate medical purpose, to individuals who brought prescriptions in the names of other people," according to an Oct. 25 news release from the Justice Department.
It's suspected that the pills purchased from the pharmacist were then sold illegally by drug dealers, according to the news release.
Ms. Stewart pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme. Under her co-ownership, employees at Sunnyside Medical's two locations issued prescriptions for 752,000 oxycodone pills and 419,000 hydrocodone pills. In doing so, the clinic reportedly profited around $5.4 million.
Often prescriptions were written by Sunnyside Medical employees "outside the usual course of professional practice, and not for a legitimate medical purpose," and "the prescriptions often were issued to individuals paid by drug dealers to pose as patients, and the pills ultimately were diverted to the illegal market," according to the release.
The other co-defendants in the case have pleaded guilty and are expected to be sentenced Nov. 15.