[StBernard] Local clinic owner imprisoned for drug trafficking

[Westley Annis]

Local clinic owner imprisoned for drug trafficking

WWL.com Reporting
U.S. Attorney Jim Letten announced today that a 38-year-old Chalmette
resident has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for conspiracy to
distribute and dispense controlled substances, conspiracy to commit health
care fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Candace Wilson and her sister, Monica Jones, established pain management
clinics in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge.

Letten says the clinics offered "pain management" by writing prescriptions
that were not for legitimate medical purposes nor within the bounds of
professional medical practice, and only accepted cash for medical services.

In some instances, controlled substances and/or prescriptions for controlled
substances were distributed without the recipient seeing a physician and the
cost of a doctor visit was determined by the type of controlled substances
the patient wanted. 

Wilson admitted that she and a number of co-defendants recruited individuals
entitled to Medicaid benefits and paid cash in exchange for the use of their
Medicaid numbers in order to illegally obtain controlled substances for
distribution.

Wilson apparently used the illegal proceeds to purchase numerous luxury
vehicles and real estate.

Additionally, she admitted that she deposited and instructed others to
deposit into bank accounts the illegal proceeds in amounts less than
$10,000.00 to avoid the currency transaction reporting requirements of
financial institutions.

Following the execution of federal search warrants, the vehicles,
properties, and several bank accounts were seized and later forfeited by
Wilson.

Wilson was also ordered to pay $82,072.18 restitution to the Louisiana
Medicaid Program and be placed on three years of supervised release
following the term of imprisonment, during which time the defendant will be
under federal supervision and risks an additional term of imprisonment
should she violate any terms of her supervised release.