TO EXPLOIT AND OVERSERVE –
Sept 14, 2021 – A federal grand jury in New Orleans, Louisiana, returned an indictment on August 26, 2021 charging a Louisiana physician for his role in distributing over 1,200,000 doses of Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone and morphine, outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, and for maintaining his clinic for the purpose of illegally distributing controlled substances. Today’s indictment also charges the physician with defrauding health care benefit programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, of more than $5,100,000, given that the opioid prescriptions were filled using health insurance benefits. Talbot is charged with one count each of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances, maintaining a drug-involved premises and conspiracy to commit health care fraud, as well as four counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances. The defendant is scheduled for his initial court appearance Sept. 10 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael B. North of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and 20 years each for all other counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
