Gynecologist ran ‘pill mill’ from his home, sold drugs to addicts in Georgia, feds say
A former gynecologist and pharmacist illegally sold and distributed prescriptions to drug addicts in Georgia, federal authorities say.
Anthony Mills, 56, who was a gynecologist, and Raphael Ogunsusi, who owned Evansmill Pharmacy and Retox Pharmacy, pleaded guilty to operating an Atlanta-area “pill mill,” according to an Oct. 5 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia.
They were charged with multiple counts of “Unlawful Dispensing and Distribution of Controlled Substances and Aiding and Abetting,” court documents show.
Between at least October 2018 and July 2020, Mills and Ogunsusi worked together and with several others to prescribe and distribute prescription medications to drug dealers and addicts, the release says.
Mills’ specialty was listed as “gynecology” with the state medical board, but he did not maintain a practice, court documents say. Instead, Mills operated from his home, writing prescriptions without obtaining any medical records, conducting exams or establishing a patient-doctor relationship.
Despite his specialty, most of the “patients” Mills served were male. Furthermore, court documents say that some of the prescriptions were issued to identities that had been stolen or to people who were deceased or incarcerated.
Most of the prescriptions Mills issued were filled by Ogunsusi, who was aware of the pill mill, officials say. In exchange for fulfilling the illegitimate prescriptions, Ogunsusi accepted large cash payments. To hide the drastically inflated prices, he and others falsified pricing information on his pharmacy’s computers.
His pharmacies were in Stonecrest and Conyers, two towns more than 20 miles southeast of Atlanta.
Ogunsusi also required “patients” to buy other additional non-controlled substances, referred to as the “Shebang,” to maximize his profits for illegal dispensing, officials say.
With the payments he received, Ogunsusi purchased an airplane, according to officials. He also pleaded guilty to money laundering as a result of this purchase.
Among the drugs prescribed and sold were oxycodone, percocet and promethazine with codeine, court documents show.
“The dispensing of addictive prescription pain medication under the guise of a doctor’s care isn’t about the good of the community or an individual’s specific health needs — it’s about greed,” Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Atlanta Field Division said.
Mills will be sentenced Feb. 7, 2023. Ogunsusi does not have a sentencing date yet. Criminal charges are pending against eight other defendants, the release says.
Neither Mills’ nor Ogunsusi’s attorneys immediately responded to McClatchy’s request for comment.
This story was originally published October 5, 2022 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Gynecologist ran ‘pill mill’ from his home, sold drugs to addicts in Georgia, feds say."
