A Louisiana man who owned two out of state pain clinics responsible for illegally distributing hundreds of thousands of prescription pills to Eastern Kentuckians was found guilty by a Lexington jury of all charges.
Jurors found Michael Leman, 46, and two corporations he controlled, Urgent Care Services Philadelphia, Inc. and Urgent Care Services Cincinnati, Inc. guilty on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of money laundering.
The verdict comes after more than three weeks of trial.
According to evidence at trial, Leman conspired from December 2004 until January 2008 with two doctors and other clinic officials to distribute oxycodone and methadone to hundreds of Kentuckians from Pike and Floyd counties. Court records indicate that approximately 90 percent of the patients who visited Leman's Philadelphia and Cincinnati clinics were from Eastern Kentucky. The clinics made a combined $1.2 million in cash in a 26 month period.
Trial testimony revealed Leman instructed clinic officials to actively recruit Kentucky patients to travel to Urgent Care in Philadelphia for prescription drugs. Evidence also revealed that Leman hired three doctors to work at the clinics who were unemployed, had criminal histories, and had at one time lost their license to practice medicine in other states.
The offenses against Leman carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
