Our firm was retained by Dr. Samuel Mintlow last year after a pain clinic he worked for was raided by federal agents. The pain clinic, Liberty Wellness Center in Norcross, was owned and operated by two individuals who were engaged in the trafficking of Oxycodone. Dr. Mintlow had no knowledge of the owners’ illegal activities, but he was nonetheless arrested and charged along with the owners.
On Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta agreed to drop all felony charges against Dr. Mintlow in exchange for a misdemeanor plea to a single count of misbranding a prescription drug. As a result, Dr. Mintlow will be able to put this unfortunate case behind him and, hopefully, continue to practice medicine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office had originally charged Dr. Mintlow with the unlawful distribution of Oxycodone and conspiracy to unlawfully distribute Oxycodone – both felony offenses carrying heavy sentences. In essence, the government alleged that Dr. Mintlow was prescribing pain medication to patients without a legitimate medical purpose and accused Dr. Mintlow of putting profit before his patients’ health.
In response to the government’s allegations, our firm retained one of the nation’s leading experts on pain management as well as a local pain physician to review the medical files of Dr. Mintlow’s patients. The patient files included MRI reports, patient questionnaires, patient charts, and drug tests. The results were clear: Dr. Mintlow was engaged in the legitimate practice of medicine. Our firm also found numerous patients who were more than willing to testify that Dr. Mintlow was an excellent doctor who cared deeply about their health and quality of life.
It is an unfortunate circumstance that pain physicians are no longer able to treat patients as they see fit. The arrests of many pain physicians in Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee has had a chilling effect on the practice causing many pain patients to go without adequate treatment, and to seek illegal drugs in the black market. The surge in arrests has also blemished the reputations of many fine doctors like Dr. Mintlow who were lawfully and legitimately treating patients. We were happy to help obtain a dismissal of all felony counts against Dr. Mintlow.
