Doctor From Alton, Illinois Indicted On Charges OF Health Care Fraud And Illegal Dispensation Of Controlled Substances
The Federal Grand Jury sitting in East St. Louis, Illinois, returned a 15 count Indictment
against a Madison County doctor, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois
announced today.
VIWATHNA BHUTHIMETHEE, 66, of Alton, Illinois, operated the Walk In Clinic,
located at 654 East Broadway Street in Alton, Illinois. The indictment alleges that, for most
patients, BHUTHIMETHEE did not operate a legitimate medical practice, but instead was engaged
in a scheme to distribute controlled substances illegally, thereby defrauding Health Care Benefit
Programs, namely, Illinois Medicaid, by running what was in essence a prescription service for drug
addicts, commonly known as a “Pill Mill”.
DR. BHUTHIMETHEE is charged with the following offenses: (1) health care fraud in
Count 1, which carries penalties of a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment, a maximum fine of
$250,000, a maximum of three years’ supervised release, and a $100 special assessment; (2) illegal
distribution of a Schedule III controlled substance (Hydrocodone) in Counts 2 through 9, which
carries penalties of a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment, a maximum fine of $500,000, no less
than two years’ supervised release, and a $100 special assessment; and (3) illegal distribution of a
Schedule IV controlled substance (Xanax) in Counts 10 through 15, which carries penalties of a
maximum of five years’ imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000; one year supervised release,
and a $100 special assessment.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is
presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the
satisfaction of a jury.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as by the Illinois State Police, Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau, the Alton Illinois Police Department and the Madison County Coroner’s Office.
The case is being handled by Assistant
United States Attorney Michael J. Quinley.
If you suspect or know of an individual or company that is not complying with healthcare laws or public aid programs, you may report this activity to the local office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General or call 1-800-447-8477.
