Philadelphia doctor accused of running pill mill
A Philadelphia doctor who once ran as a candidate for Bucks County coroner was arrested Thursday on allegations that he traded prescriptions for money and offers of sex.
A Philadelphia doctor who once ran as a candidate for Bucks County coroner was arrested Thursday on allegations that he traded prescriptions for money and offers of sex.
Federal prosecutors say William J. O'Brien III, 49, ran a pill mill out of his medical offices in Northeast Philadelphia and Levittown, offering patients drugs like oxycodone and Xanax for as little as $200 in cash.
In one instance, O'Brien allegedly offered to write a prescription for a patient in exchange for oral sex. The woman was an undercover FBI agent.
According to court filings, O'Brien falsified the records of patients to make it look like he conducted detailed examinations. In reality, prosecutors say, those consultations consisted of little more than the patient's dropping off cash payments with his 29-year-old receptionist, Angela Rongione, who was also charged Thursday.
Investigators estimate that the pair made $1.8 million last year from their illegal business.
O'Brien and Rongione face charges of conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances. They made their initial appearances in federal court Thursday. Neither had retained a lawyer.
In 1999, O'Brien ran for coroner. A decade later, he and his company - WJO Inc. - led a group of physicians in a bid to purchase the financially strapped Lower Bucks Hospital. That effort failed, and WJO filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
Court documents suggest that the company's financial picture only grew more dire from that point. During the period in which prosecutors say he was peddling pills, O'Brien told a bankruptcy judge that he would need to liquidate his business.
He accused a court-appointed Chapter 11 trustee of "raping" WJO by running up extravagant bills and described the man in court filings as "nefarious, malicious, [and] money-sucking."
On Thursday, O'Brien told U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Faith Angell that he could not afford to hire an attorney. Angell said she had her doubts.
Both O'Brien and Rongione are scheduled to be arraigned next week.