Agent Says Drug-Selling Traffic Was So Brisk Outside Brainerd Pill Mill That A Guard Was Necessary

  • Monday, May 4, 2015

An IRS agent testified Monday that so much drug peddling was going on outside a Brainerd "pill mill" that the owner had to hire a security guard.

Scott Kennedy said all who went to the O'Neill Clinic got drugs from Dr. Ishaan Al-Amin, who earlier pleaded guilty to charges of illegally dispensing controlled substances and tax evasion.

It was testified that in November 2011 Al-Amin was prescribing more pain pills than any other physician in East Tennessee after moving up from #3 in September and #2 in October.

The testimony came at his sentencing hearing before Judge Curtis Collier.

Agt. Kennedy, who started an investigation in the fall of 2008 after receiving several complaints, said some of those getting large numbers of pills from Al-Amin were in their 20s and 30s.

He said a registered nurse who was a patient at the clinic told of seeing a young person come into the lobby after seeing the doctor, get on his cell phone, and say, "I just got them. How many do you want? I'll be right there."

Agt. Kennedy said Al-Amin took only cash or checks - no insurance, and wanted his patients to buy their pills from him.

He said he questioned the "pharmacist" at the clinic, Tony Blancett, and learned he had formerly been the parking lot security guard. He said he asked him what medical background he had, and he said he once delivered oxygen tanks to patients.

Agt. Kennedy said a sign inside the clinic gave the "street value" of pills.

He said patients would drive long distances because they heard "that it was so easy to get pain pills."

He said one Tellico Plains man would break pills in two and take one-half while selling the other.

The witness said Al-Amin seemed almost asleep when treating her and said he had needle marks on his arm.

Agt. Kennedy said Al-Amin, who was formerly known as Robert O'Neil Robinson Jr., had worked at a methodone clinic in Rossville until he and the clinic were sued for over-prescribing pills. He said Al Amin afterward set up his own pain clinic.

The witness said several government agents were sent to the clinic at 4719 Brainerd Road posing as patients and all got pain pills. He said one was given pills for his brother when he said he was away driving a truck.

Agt. Kennedy said agents searched the clinic at a time Al-Amin was away. A loaded gun was among the items found. Agents also found 321 prescriptions that had been pre-signed by Al-Amin.

He some sparsely documented patient records were found, and all 4,400 files were examined. He said the government focused on the cases that were "the most egregious."

He said one patient was prescribed 2,870 pills and another almost 2,500.

The agent said the clinic was back open the following Monday morning, though all the patient files were gone. He said, "It was as if nothing had happened."

He said when Al-Amin was stopped in his car he had $23,000 in cash with him.

Agt. Kennedy said Al-Amin in 2005 reported on his IRS tax return $30,000 in income. He said he reported $262,881 the following year. He said, using a conservative approach and not counting illegible records or accounting for gaps of weeks or months in the records, it was found that his income was $349,020 in 2005 and $470,283 in 2006.

Charles Whitson, a state health investigator, said he went to the O'Neill Clinic unannounced in mid-2007 after getting a number of complaints.

He said a large number of patients were jammed into a small waiting area, including many who were fairly young. He said a receptionist was in a cubicle with bullet-proof glass. Video cameras were positioned on the walls, though it was later found they were not hooked up. There was a security guard on duty.

Investigator Whitson said there was a loaded 380 semi-automatic weapon in the waiting area. Al-Amin later said it was there for the protection of staff when he was away.

The investigator said he found controlled substances that were not in locked areas, including some on counter tops. He said syringes were also lying on the counters.

He said there were a number of pills in the doctor's private office, including some labeled for office use.

There were multiple safes in the clinic, he said. He was allowed to view the inside of one, which had "an enormous amount of methadone." He said there were an "eye-popping" number of other drugs.

He was not allowed to inspect two other safes.

The witness said lab rooms are normally spotless, but the lab room at the clinic was in disarray with syringes and trash on the floor and vials of medication on counters.

Investigator Whitson said 100 percent of patients received drugs.

At one point early in the hearing, Al-Amin began shouting during the Whitson testimony, declaring, "I don't dispense benzos. I don't dispense benzos."

Judge Collier said the defendant would be removed from the courtroom if he had another such outburst.

Prosecutor James Brooks earlier said Al-Amin faces up to 10 years in prison for the drug dispensing charge and up to 20 years in prison for tax evasion.

Al-Amin had faced a 105-count indictment as well as a bill of information.

Al-Amin, who was 62 at the time of his arrest, was allowed to remain on bond on the basis that he needed to be available to confer with his attorney.

The sentencing was continued to Tuesday.

 

 

 

 



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