ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A doctor accused of operating a pill mill was charged Monday in connection with a patient's death, authorities said.
Dr. Ibem Borges was arrested Monday on charges of manslaughter, trafficking oxycodone, racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Borges is expected to face a judge during his first appearance at the Orange County Jail Tuesday morning.
The 53-year-old's wife, Wanda Otero, is also facing charges in the case. She is charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and structuring transactions to evade the reporting requirement.
“These arrests should serve as a warning that we will not tolerate anyone illegally selling highly addictive controlled substances in Florida,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
State agents raided Borges' pain management clinics in November 2013 after two of his patients died from overdoses, investigators said.
"This guy was making his living on people who are addicted to pills," FDLE agent Jack Massey told Channel 9.
One clinic was on East Vine Street in Kissimmee and the other on West Oak Ridge Road in Orlando.
Photos: Mug shots of doctor, wife in pill mill case
Raw: FDLE agent discusses pain clinic raid
FDLE agents, along with the Osceola County Investigative Bureau and the DEA Orlando district office, began investigating Borges after allegations that the family practices he owned in Orange and Osceola counties appeared to be operating as unlawful pill mills.
During the course of the investigation, patient records and undercover office visits revealed that patients were routinely prescribed controlled substances, regardless of the individual patient’s needs.
As part of the investigation, one undercover agent visited Borges six times, pretending to have back problems.
The exams allegedly lasted between two minutes and just 35 seconds. Yet each time, the agent said he walked away with a prescription for 120 to 180 oxycodone pills.
"When you bring charges against a professional of this gravity, you better take your time. Slow and thorough is what wins the race in these type of prosecutions," WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said.
A review by medical experts found that Borges' prescribing practices were "concerning and at times even alarming."
Investigators said Borges was responsible for the death of one of his patients after the patient overdosed on prescription narcotics prescribed by him. The narcotics were prescribed without a legitimate medical purpose and were dangerous to the health of the patient, authorities said.
"I don't remember the last time a doctor was charged with manslaughter," Massey said.
In April, 9 Investigates reporter Tim Barber learned that the Florida Department of Health banned Borges from prescribing powerful painkillers, but it did not ban him from practicing.
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