Michigan doctor gets prison for prescribing 200K opioid pills out of ‘sham clinic’

SOUTHFIELD, MI – A Michigan doctor is heading to prison after a federal jury found her guilty of the illegal distribution of prescription opioids.

Dr. Charise Valentine, 69, of Southfield, was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday. From November 2016 to July 2018, Valentine issued more than 3,000 prescriptions for more than 200,000 pills to “patients” who did not have a legitimate medical need for the drugs.

The drugs, including Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, are worth more than $5.2 million, prosecutors said.

“Doctors take an oath to heal, not poison,” United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said. “As a doctor, this defendant knew better than anyone the devastating harm that opioid addiction causes to people. There is no place in our community for corrupt doctors.”

Valentine was one of two doctors at Orthopedic Medical Building. Her co-defendant, Dr. Michele Ritter, also illegally issued thousands of opioid prescriptions. Other defendants charged in the case include clinic operator Iris Winchester and recruiter Joyce Robinson, who previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison.

Orthopedic Medical Building, a sham clinic that operated out of a warehouse in Oak Park, was a cash-only “clinic,” and charged patients $200-500 per prescription, but did not charge anything if the patient didn’t receive an opioid prescription.

The prices were not based on the supposed service provided, but instead based on the quantity, type, and dosage of prescription opioids that the “patient” received, usually Oxycodone 30mg or Oxymorphone 40mg, which are two of the most addictive prescription opioids that carry high street value.

The clinic also charged cash for the creation of fraudulent medical records for the supposed “patients.”

Dr. Valentine was paid about 50% of the clinic’s proceeds – more than $500,000 in cash over about 19 months – and she was paid only if she wrote an opioid prescription to a patient, not based on any supposed “medical care.” She received an envelope of thousands in cash each day she worked.

“Dr. Valentine’s sentencing sends a clear message that the FBI will not tolerate any medical professional who stands to gain personally from abusing their position and endangering the public by illegally prescribing opioids,” said Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan.

Valentine was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terrence G. Berg, who presided over the trial. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Lievense and Wayne F. Pratt.

The case was investigated by special agents and task force officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General.