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Doctor in Pill Mill Case Sentenced for Money Laundering
By: Associated Press
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BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) – A West Virginia doctor has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for participating in a money laundering scheme related to pain pills he prescribed.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Thursday that 64-year-old Dr. John Pellegrini of Huntington was sentenced to 87 months and must forfeit $574,507. Pellegrini pleaded guilty last year to the charge in federal court in Beckley in connection with his work at the Hope Clinic.
Prosecutors say he admitted many of the prescriptions he wrote weren’t for legitimate medical purposes and that his interactions and exams of patients were brief or nonexistent. Pellegrini also admitted receiving bonuses based on the number of paying customers.
Federal prosecutors have charged numerous doctors, owners and managers associated with Hope Clinic with overprescribing pain pills.