Pill Mill Doctor Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison and Ordered to Pay $6.8 Million

Friday, May 27, 2016 | 0

A federal judge Wednesday sentenced a doctor to 25 years in prison for running a pill mill responsible for the deaths of three patients.

Dr. Edward Neil Feldman, 76, of Tampa, was convicted of conspiracy to prescribe unnecessary controlled substances and for money laundering.

His wife, 66-year-old Kim Xuan Feldman, will serve four years in federal prison for her part in the conspiracy to launder proceeds from the couple’s Feldman Orthopedic and Wellness Center.

The couple dispensed primarily oxycodone and methadone, as well as alprazolam and diazepam. Medical examiners testified that three patients died as a result of multi-drug toxicity.

Evidence also showed that the couple deposited more than $5 million in cash in dozens of bank accounts while operating their clinic. They used clinic proceeds to buy their home and property for their business, and to fund investment accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore issued a total money judgment against the Feldmans for nearly $6.8 million, “the proceeds of the criminal conduct,” prosecutors said. The couple was ordered to forfeit their home, a Mercedes Benz, an Infinity EX35 and nearly a half-million dollars in cash. To partially satisfy the money judgment, the couple forfeited a 2011 Porsche, jewelry, gold coins and precious metals valued at $116,000.

From October 2009 through December 2014, the Feldmans operated their clinic in Pinellas Park and saw up to 100 patients a day, with new patients paying $300 in cash for visits. The Feldmans did not accept insurance. In return, the doctor wrote prescriptions for large quantities of drugs deemed “not for any legitimate medical purpose.”

The U.S. Attorney’s news release can be found here.