Agrees to Forfeit $2 Million in Connection with the Operation
of a Purported Garden City, Georgia Pain Clinic
SAVANNAH, GA - Nuvest, LLC, a Florida corporation, has pleaded guilty to an offense involving a purported pain clinic in Garden City, Georgia. Appearing before United States District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen, Jr. on April 11, the corporation, through counsel, entered a plea of guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises known as East Health Center. The corporation, which provided the funds used to launch and operate the clinic, admitted that the clinic was opened for the purpose of dispensing oxycodone, hydrocodone, and other drugs without legitimate medical purpose. The clinic operated in Garden City from February through May of 2011. As part of a plea agreement, the corporation agreed to forfeit the sum of $2,000,000, representing proceeds obtained as a result of the violation.
United States Attorney Edward Tarver said, “Pill mills are opened for the sole purpose of profiting from the unlawful dispensation of powerful, addictive, and often dangerous drugs. These drugs are abused by either the patients visiting the clinics or end up being unlawfully sold to others. An important goal in all of our law enforcement efforts is to deprive violators of their ill-gotten gains. I am confident that this prosecution sends a clear and unmistakable message that the United States intends to pursue the forfeiture of unlawful drug proceeds with great vigor."
An extensive financial investigation of Nuvest, LLC was conducted by the DEA, GBI, and IRS - Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Karl Knoche, Greg Gilluly, and Jeff Buerstatte are prosecuting the case for the Government. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
