Collin County Physician and Registered Nurse Convicted in Pill Mill Scheme

PLANO, Texas – A 64-year-old former physician and 60-year-old registered nurse have been convicted of drug trafficking charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joe Brown today.

Tad W. Taylor and his wife, Chia Jean Lee, also known as Chia Jean Lee-Taylor, of Plano, were found guilty by a jury on Oct. 10, 2018, of conspiracy to distribute and dispense Oxycodone, Amphetamine Salts (Adderall), Hydrocodone, Alprazolam (Xanax) and Promethazine with Codeine.  The jury reached a guilty verdict following a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone. 

According information presented at trial, during 2010 through 2012, Taylor and Lee owned and operated Taylor Texas Medicine, a medical clinic in Richardson, Texas. The defendants were convicted of conspiring to distribute large quantities of the above five drugs at their clinic to people that had no legitimate medical need. Taylor and Lee were indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 18, 2017 and charged with conspiracy to distribute, dispense, and possess with intent to distribute and dispense controlled substances.

“Doctors have a legal obligation to prescribe medication only for legitimate medical purposes,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown.   “Too often, doctors prescribe to serve their own financial interests.  When those prescriptions involve opioid medication, that is dangerous and has contributed to the addiction problems that have plagued our country.  Doctors need to realize that their prescriptions are being watched.”

            As a result of their conviction, Taylor and Lee will forfeit $450,000.00 and all right, title and interest to any medical or nursing license or certifications.  Under federal statutes, Taylor and Lee each face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each charge at sentencing.  The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.  A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stevan Buys and Jonathan R. Hornok in the Eastern District of Texas.