Jury Finds Texarkana Doctor Guilty In Federal ‘Pill Mill’ Case

Dr. Parker being escorted from the Texarkana Federal Courthouse Wednesday morning after appearing in court. (photo by Field Walsh | TXK TODAY)
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TEXARKANA, Ark.–Dr. Lonnie Parker was found guilty of four counts of distribution of a controlled substance without an effective prescription by a jury on Friday in federal court in Texarkana at the end of a two-week trial in Texarkana’s downtown federal building.

Parker, 58, was found not guilty of a fifth count and the jury declined to find that Parker is responsible for the death of the victim he was found guilty of providing oxycodone to in count one, court records show. Counts one and four involve oxycodone Parker prescribed and counts two and three involve cough syrup containing codeine.

Parker faces up to 20 years in federal prison, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas. U.S. District Judge Susan O. Hickey allowed Parker to remain free on an existing unsecured appearance bond pending sentencing, which will be scheduled at a later date. Parker was first arrested in the case in October 2019.

Federal officials launched an investigation into Parker’s medical practice after receiving complaints from law enforcement that the business was a “pill mill” and that a patient had died of a drug overdose.

“In the two-year period analyzed, Dr. Parker prescribed approximately 1.2 million dosage units of opioid pain medications, including oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl, to approximately 1,508 patients, approximately 847 dosage units per patient,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Dr. Parker also prescribed approximately 16 gallons of Promethazine with Codeine cough syrup to approximately 29 patients during the same time frame. The prescriptions included narcotics written in combination with sedatives, creating a high risk of addiction and overdose to patients.”

Search warrant documents filed earlier in the case note that former patients of Parker’s referred to him as “Dr. Feel Good.”

The case was investigated by the DEA, FBI, Texarkana Arkansas Police Department and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

While the Arkansas State Medical Board’s website continues to show Parker is an actively licensed physician, he has been unable to practice because of restrictions placed on him by the court after his arrest.

Parker was sentenced to 57 months in prison for possession of child pornography in 2000 following a jury trial in the Eastern District of Texas. His license was later reinstated.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne Gardner and Graham Jones.

Parker is represented by Jeffrey Rosenzweig and Peter Drake Mann.

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