Med School for This? –
MAY 1, 2019 – Celestine was not arrested during the raid, but did surrender his license to distribute controlled substances. He made nearly $14 million from the “pill mill operation” between 2008 and 2018, the DEA said in a news release after the raid. The DEA began investigating Celestine in late 2013 after receiving information that the doctor had been “structuring” his cash deposits to avoid federal reporting requirements.
Celestine was later arrested on April 30, 2018 on charges of distribution of controlled substances. He pushed back against the charges in May 2018, claiming agents misled a federal judge about his clinic and “callously disregarded” his rights when they seized eight bank accounts they said contained proceeds from illegal drug sales.
