A Montgomery physician was sentenced to 12 years and one month in federal prison on Thursday after being found guilty of prescribing unnecessary controlled substances for his patients, prosecutors said. Dr. Gilberto Sanchez, 56, was also guilty of committing health care fraud and laundering money, according to the announcement from U.S. Attorney Louis Franklin Sr. Sanchez handed out prescriptions for opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl as well as amphetamines that he knew his patients did not need and would abuse, prosecutors said. "To ensure that his scheme was a profitable one, Dr. Sanchez required his patients to return to his office each month and undergo physical examinations before receiving prescription refills," the announcement from Franklin's office said. "These office visits were unnecessary, as their only purpose was to facilitate Dr. Sanchez giving the patients illegitimate prescriptions. Nevertheless, Dr. Sanchez performed these unnecessary examinations so that he could get money from the patients' insurance companies. This scheme led to Dr. Sanchez's health care fraud conviction. "The money laundering charges stem from Dr. Sanchez's spending the proceeds of his operation of a pill mill. Court documents describe Dr. Sanchez using those proceeds to purchase at least one vehicle and one personal residence located in Montgomery." In the announcement, Franklin said, "A license to practice medicine does not give a doctor permission to be a drug dealer," said United States Attorney Franklin. "This white coat criminal poured poison into this community for years and will never know nor be able to undo the harm Dr. Sanchez inflicted upon his patients and their loved ones. We hope that this strong sentence will send a message deter other doctors who might follow Dr. Sanchez down the path of putting profit over care." Also on Thursday, prosecutors said, a licensed professional counselor, Johnnie Chaisson Sanders, 48, of Wetumpka, Alabama, pleaded guilty to health care fraud. Court documents state that Sanders worked for Dr. Sanchez and, with Dr. Sanchez, participated in a fraudulent moneymaking venture. Source
