More Details Released in 'Pill Mill' Case

Motions filed by federal authorities prosecuting five people charged in connection with an alleged Cartersville "pill mill" shed some light on the investigation.

Atlanta Medical Group on Collins Drive was the target of a multi-agency probe that culminated in in June. Federal authorities in connection with operation, alleging they conspired to illegally distribute the powerful pain killer oxycodone and launder profits from doing so.

All five have now been and are represented by attorneys. They each to the various charges they face.

Four of the five face money laundering charges — the doctor involved faces only a conspiracy to distribute narcotics charge. Each of the five face the distribution count.

While the full motions filed by government attorneys are attached to this article, as is the full indictment, highlights of the latest court filings include:

• A grand jury on June 29 returned the indictment charging the five.

“This indictment is the result of several months of intensive undercover investigations involving numerous Title III recordings,” the U.S. Attorney's Office motion to designate the case "complex for pretrial time exclusions pursuant to the Speedy Trial Act" states.

• Numerous items of evidence, including a "significant number of financial records, hundreds of intercepted telephones calls [and] thousands of patient files," were seized during search warrants "on doctor’s offices, business locations and residences of the defendants."

In addition to about 2,600 patient files and several boxes of pharmacy and other business records and documentation, agents "seized several computers that have since been imaged and are awaiting forensic analysis. Agents continue to prepare these documents and evidence for production in discovery."

Federal attorneys also are moving for a protective order for the records containing "sensitive information," such as personal identity, financial and health records.

• Other evidence includes "four compact disks containing Title III intercepts for four telephones, which include audio recordings, summaries and 'linesheets' for the period of February [to] June 2011."

Eleven compact disks of additional evidence include Drug Enforcement Administration reports, an interview with one of the defendants, "Rose Trash Pull" and other photos, and five other videos dated from March to September.

Local authorities say prescription drug abuse is on the rise. Read more here about this case and what has been called the new battlefield of the war on drugs.