Former Heart Surgeon Convicted in Cartersville "Pill Mill" Operation

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A Macon doctor has been convicted for unlawfully distributing pain medication at a ”pill mill” clinic in Cartersville.

James Earl Chapman, Jr., was found guilty following a two-week jury trial on 49 counts of drug trafficking for prescribing and dispensing controlled narcotics at the pain clinic “that served as a front for the mass distribution of addictive pain killers,” the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said in a press release.

“A doctor’s first responsibility is to do no harm to others, but evidence at trial established that Dr. Chapman relentlessly and aggressively prescribed controlled pain killing medication to patients who were addicted to them,” said U.S. Attorney John A. Horn. “Many of those patients sold the pills for financial gain, and to finance return trips to the clinic. A jury has guaranteed that Chapman is no longer in a position to do harm.”

The investigation into Chapman’s operations began in May 2010 when, using information from the FBI/Northwest Georgia Criminal Enterprise Safe Streets Task Force, federal, state and local law enforcement agents came together to investigate Atlanta Medical Group after learning that the Cartersville-based clinic was prescribing pain pills outside the bounds of a legitimate medical practice.

The investigation revealed that Chapman served as the clinic’s primary doctor while Jason Votrobek and Roland Castellanos financed and operated the clinic, along with Jesse Violante. Cartersville resident Tara Atkins served as the office manager.

Votrobek, a Vero Beach, Florida, resident and Castellanos, of Hollywood, Florida, were convicted and received 15 years in federal prison.

Violante, also of Vero Beach, and Atkins also pleaded guilty to charges related to their conduct at the clinic. Violante was sentenced to four years and four months in federal prison while Atkins was sentenced to two years in federal prison.

While serving as the clinic’s primary doctor, Chapman ”failed to fulfill a doctor’s basic obligations to conduct physical examinations of patients and verify medical histories before prescribing astronomical quantities of controlled substances,” the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

In its first year of operations, Chapman received the highest number of oxycodone pills of any doctor in the state, the charges outlined.

He also continued to prescribe these narcotics in dangerous amounts and combination, even after he was notified that many pharmacies in the area stopped filling the prescriptions and that the medical board had subpoenaed his records to determine the propriety of his prescribing practices.

Patient records revealed Chapman was aware that some of his patients were “drug addicts,” as their records contained information (from a nurse or the patients themselves) that those patients had previously purchased the drugs illegally, the prosecution states.

In fact, more than 98 percent of the patients traveled to AMG from surrounding states in order to receive prescriptions for controlled substances. The investigation also alleged Chapman used the controlled substances, and asked clinic employees to help in his quest to illegally obtain these narcotics for his own use.

One example involves Chapman, 64, requesting another employee to fill out the prescription for him to sign, “as he was too intoxicated to do so himself,” the case reveals.

Chpman will be sentenced Nov. 13 before U.S. District Judge Harold L. Murphy.

“We were glad to see the results of good police work in this case,” said Captain Mark Mayton, Commander, Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force. “We believe that the verdict in this case will send a strong message to those who prey on individuals with addiction will not be tolerated. I am pleased with the hard work that went into this case from the investigation to the successful prosecution. It proves to our communities that when law enforcement agencies work together for a common goal good things happens as demonstrated in this guilty verdict. From a local prospective we were grateful for all the assistance we received in investigating and prosecuting this case.”

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