Oak Park Doctor Pleads Guilty To Unlawful Distribution Of Prescription Pills

A physician who practiced in Oak Park pleaded guilty yesterday to writing prescriptions for oxycodone without medical justification, acting United States Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch announced today.

Lemisch was joined in the announcement by Timothy Plancon, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Manny Muriel, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

Jennifer Franklin, 40, of Harrison Township, entered the guilty plea before U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh.

As part of the plea agreement, Franklin, admitted that between the latter part of 2013 and April 2015, she conspired with Boris Zigmond, to prescribe medically unnecessary oxycodone. Franklin acknowledged that she earned approximately $200,000 from the scheme to distribute oxycodone. She also acknowledged that the street value of the oxycodone she prescribed without justification exceeded $2 million.

Boris Zigmond, Dr. Carlos Godoy, and six other codefendants have previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy.

"More people die from overdoses of prescription drugs in America than from overdoses of all other drugs combined,” Lemisch said. “We hope that prosecuting the doctors who are putting these drugs on the streets will deter others from contributing to this epidemic.”

IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Muriel, stated “It is unfortunate that greed and the desire for financial gain overpowers a physician’s Hippocratic Oath to use treatment to help the sick, but never with a view to injury and wrong-doing. The medically unnecessary prescribing of Oxycodone continues to be a contributing factor to the Opioid epidemic that is facing Michigan. IRS and its partners will continue to work to identify those who look to gain financial reward from medically unnecessary prescriptions.”

As part of their plea agreements, Zigmond, Franklin, and Godoy could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2017.