Owner Of Kentucky Pain Clinics Arrested And Indicted For Prescription Drug And Money Laundering Conspiracies

LEXINGTON, KY - A federal indictment, unsealed today, accuses a pain clinic owner and his two businesses of illegally distributing prescription drugs in central and northern Kentucky.

Ernest William Singleton, 44, was arrested in his hometown of Springfield, KY., this morning on federal charges.

Singleton and his businesses, Double D Holdings, LLC, and S & R Medical Enterprises, LLC, which previously did business under the names Central Kentucky Bariatric and Pain Management (Georgetown, Ky.) and Grant County Wellness Clinic, (Dry Ridge, Ky.) are charged with conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and conspiracy to launder funds from October 2010 until January 2013.

In addition, the U.S. Government seeks forfeiture of farm land, vehicles, businesses, and other property that were purchased with illegal profits or used to facilitate the alleged crimes.

A federal grand jury in Lexington returned the sealed indictment on January 10.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Robert L. Corso, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, Christopher A. Henry, Special Agent in Charge of IRS, Criminal Investigation Division, Jack Conway, Kentucky Attorney General, and Rodney Brewer, Commissioner of Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the arrest and the charges.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA, the IRS’ Criminal Investigation Division, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Walker represents the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this case.

“Illegal pill mills have fueled the prescription drug epidemic in Kentucky that now kills more people than traffic accidents,” General Conway said. “I appreciate the hard work of my Drug Branch Investigators, working in coordination with our state and federal law enforcement partners, in bringing this case forward.”

A date for Singleton to appear in Federal Court has not yet been set. If convicted he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each count. However, any sentence following a conviction would come after the Court considers the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes.

The indictment of a person by a grand jury is an accusation only, and that person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.