Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan | Department of Justice
Federal authorities have unsealed an indictment charging two physicians, a clinic owner, and a patient recruiter with participating in an alleged $7 million illegal opioid distribution conspiracy. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., along with Acting Special Agent in Charge Reuben Coleman of the FBI’s Detroit Division and Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office.
The individuals named in the indictment are Dr. Shakeeb Chinoy, 55, from Bloomfield Hills; Dr. Sunil Manjila-Varghese, 53, from Ann Arbor; Rommel Harvey, 43, from Detroit; and Gregory Sparks, 42, also from Detroit.
According to the indictment, between November 2023 and June 2025, Dr. Chinoy allegedly conspired with Dr. Manjila-Varghese, Harvey, Sparks, and others to issue thousands of opioid prescriptions for people who did not have legitimate medical needs for these drugs. The drugs distributed included Oxycodone, Oxycodone-Acetaminophen (Percocet), Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen (Norco), Oxymorphone, and Promethazine with Codeine—all classified as highly addictive opioids that are frequently abused and command high prices on the street.
Prosecutors allege that Drs. Chinoy and Manjila-Varghese wrote prescriptions for more than 400,000 dosage units of Schedule II opioids with a conservative estimated street value exceeding $7 million. The Medicare and Medicaid programs were reportedly billed fraudulently for over $1 million for prescription medications deemed medically unnecessary during this period.
“Doctors take an oath to do no harm and to care for others. These doctors and professionals broke that oath to fill their pockets and used their respected positions of trust to push addictive opiods. They are drug dealers in white coats,” said Gorgon.
"Today's indictment of four individuals for their alleged roles in conspiracy to illegally distribute prescription drugs reflects the FBI's unyielding efforts to investigate and disrupt those who violate federal law," stated Coleman. "Exploiting the well-being of our community and the healthcare system for personal gain will not be tolerated. The alleged actions betray public trust and divert critical resources. I also want to thank the members from our FBI Detroit Field Office and federal partners at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General for their continued work to uncover and dismantle these illegal schemes."
“Physicians who exploit their position of trust by overprescribing dangerous opioids for profit place lives at risk,” said Pinto. “Working together with our law enforcement partners, our agency will not hesitate to investigate and bring to justice those who choose greed over legitimate patient care.”
Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Lievense and Darrin Crawford are prosecuting the case.
The Eastern District of Michigan is one of twelve districts included in the Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection Unit—a Department of Justice initiative that uses data analysis to identify individuals contributing significantly to the opioid crisis across the country.
The investigation was conducted by special agents from both the FBI’s Detroit Division as well as HHS-OIG.
It is noted that an indictment is only a charge; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court proceedings.
