Related Content
Press Release
ATLANTA - George Borbas, Randy Webman, Larry Webman, and Dara Webman have all pleaded guilty to illegally selling and distributing prescriptions for opiate-based narcotics and other controlled substances to addicts and drug dealers under the guise of a pain clinic in Lilburn, Georgia.
“These defendants came to Georgia for the sole purpose of profiting personally from the sale of prescription narcotics to addicts and drug dealers, without regard to the safety and well-being of our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn. “Trafficking in prescription pain killers and other pharmaceuticals continues to be a top public safety issue in Georgia, leading to record levels of overdoses and addiction as well as a disturbing resurgence in heroin use by addicts who transition from abusing prescription pain killers.”
“The arrest of these defendants led to the dismantlement of an organization responsible for the illegal distribution opiate-based analgesics and other controlled substances,” said Daniel R. Salter, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “This case is a perfect example of the success that can be achieved when federal, state and local resources are combined to present a united front.”
“The integrity of the medical profession must be protected from criminal enterprises and those who seek to illegally profit by pretending to provide legitimate medical services,” stated Veronica F. Hyman-Pillot, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. “Our communities need assurance that medical professionals who lack integrity and engage in illegal activities will be held accountable for their actions. The guilty pleas today are just one example of how IRS Criminal Investigation and the law enforcement community work together to reassure the public.
“I would like to thank all of our law enforcement partners who helped dismantle and prosecute those responsible for operating this illegal enterprise. While the pill mill was operating in our town, it unlawfully dispensed thousands of powerful pain killers into the streets, poisoning our community. After the removal of this pill mill, our business corridor returned to a legal boulevard of opportunity, devoid of the proliferation of illegal dispensing of prescription drugs,” said Bruce Hedley, Chief of Police, City of Lilburn, Georgia.
“We always stand ready to partner with our federal agencies to combat the growing problem of prescription drug diversion. These close working relationships are imperative in this type of multi-jurisdictional and complex drug investigations,” said Director B.W. Collier, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: From approximately February 2012 through January 2013, Larry Webman and Randy Webman operated an illegal enterprise, variously known as Premier Medical Management, Inc.; Premier Pain Management, Inc.; Premier Pain Management; and Premier Pain Management and Physical Therapy, located in Lilburn, Georgia. Dara Webman worked at the clinic as an office manager handing out prescriptions for narcotic opiates to customers in exchange for cash payments ostensibly collected for office visits.
Larry Webman and Randy Webman managed and controlled the clinic. Though neither had any medical training, they often directed the decisions of the clinic’s physician with respect to prescribing controlled substances. The clinic saw as many as 60 customers a day, each paying between $250 and $350 a visit. These customers almost always left with a prescription for controlled substances, which often included Oxycodone, a highly addictive painkiller. The clinic’s customers regularly traveled long distances to obtain prescriptions for controlled substances. Most hailed from outside the state, including North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, South Carolina, and Florida. The clinic’s physician allegedly saw a customer only at the initial visit, at which time he conducted a brief examination.
On return visits, a customer rarely saw the clinic’s physicians, but instead was able to obtain additional prescriptions for controlled substances allegedly based solely upon an exam by another clinic employee. On at least one occasion, Dara Webman mailed opiate prescriptions to undercover officers posing as customers. George Borbas sponsored the visits of numerous customers to the clinic in exchange for receiving a portion of the prescription pills the customers were ultimately prescribed. Almost all customers paid cash, and Larry Webman and Randy Webman personally used that money to promote the clinic’s ongoing illegal activity by, for example, purchasing an MRI machine.
The defendants in this case are as follows:
George Borbas will be sentenced on September 23, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. Randy, Larry, and Dara Webman will also be sentenced on the same day at 2:00 p.m. All defendants will be sentenced by United States District Judge Steve C. Jones. Dr. George Williams and Liz Troncoso are presently awaiting trial.
Criminal charges remain pending against the clinic physician, Dr. George Williams, for prescribing controlled substances outside the course of professional medical practice, and without a legitimate medical purpose. Charges are also pending against another clinic employee, Liz Troncoso, who is alleged to have conducted exams of patients seeking pills instead of Dr. Williams. Dr. George Williams and Liz Troncoso are presently awaiting trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Lilburn Police Department, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Laurel Boatright prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.com.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.