2 men suspected of running ‘pill mills’ in Winter Springs, East Orange County

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Two men are suspected in a conspiracy to put thousands of powerful pain pills into the hands of people who didn’t need them.

Federal investigators said John Scrima and his uncle, Leonard Scrima, ran two different “pill mills,” one in Winter Springs and another in East Orange County, starting in 2010.

Federal investigators believe the “pill mills” became go-to places for people who wanted to get their hands on prescriptions.

One employee said the men would “pressure the physicians to prescribe medication regardless of what the physicians thought.”

Investigators said the the clinics were go-to places for pill fillers who obtained thousands of pills to resell, including a ring that was caught up a few years ago in what the former U.S. attorney general called the largest health care fraud takedown in American history.

The Scrimas are facing federal charges for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

The charge carries up to 20 years in prison and $1 million in fines.

Both men are expected to take a plea in the case instead of going to trial.

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