Federal authorities crack down on pain management clinic in neighboring Bartow County. Many Polk County residents have traveled to the Cartersville pain management clinic located at 16 Collins Drive and led by Dr. James Chapman to receive pain management therapy.
Yesterday, June 29, 2011, The FBI announced the arrest of the owners, managers, and doctors at “Atlanta Medical Group” . They are accused of illegal distribution of hundreds of thousands of oxycodone pills.
Jason Cole Votrobek, age 27, of Vero Beach, Fla.; Jesse Violante, age 32, of Vero Beach, Fla.; Roland Rafael Castellanos, age 32, of Cartersville; Tara Atkins, age 33, of Cartersville; and Dr. James Chapman, age 61, of Macon were indicted for their respective roles in operating an alleged "pill mill" pain clinic that served as a front for the illegal distribution of addictive painkillers.
The investigation revealed that Votrobek,Violante and Castellanos financed and operated the clinic. Atkins served as the office manager and Chapman served as the primary doctor.
The indictment charges that in their respective capacities, they worked to procure and distribute Oxycodone pills to addicts and illegitimate distributors. The clinic’s doctor was directed by the owners and managers to see as many patients as possible, in order to generate substantial profits through the sale of pills, which were largely dispensed on site.
Dr Chapman allegedly did so without conducting sufficient medical examinations. The indictment alleges that at on least one occasion, Atkins facilitated the filling of prescriptions when the doctor was unable to do so himself. In addition, the amounts of pills distributed to patients were excessive, and with unusual dosage patterns.
The indictment charges that the clinic was really a drug distribution operation with an extremely high volume of patients visiting from surrounding states. Many of those visiting had apparent signs of being addicts.
The clinic allegedly engaged in unusual practices, including permitting non-medical staff to assist with medical procedures, including taking blood pressure, to maximize the number of patients to be seen.
The defendants allegedly made millions of dollars during the clinic’s approximately one year of operation. The indictment charges that the defendants established multiple bank accounts, many in third-party names, to conceal the windfall profits.
Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap said, “The Bartow/Cartersville Drug Task Force and all other agencies involved have been working diligently to stop this type of illegal drug activity. We want to send a message that we will not stand for any type of drug dealers in this county. Whether it be prescription drugs, marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, or any other illegal drug, we will exhaust all our law enforcement resources to stop you.”
John S. Comer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Atlanta Field Division said, “The dispensing of addictive prescription pain medication under the guise of a doctor’s care, as occurred in this investigation, is not about the good of the community or an individual’s specific health needs; it is about greed and those involved in “pill mill” activity are in fact drug dealers.”
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. This case was initiated by the FBI/ Northwest Georgia Criminal Enterprise Safe Streets Task Force.
Arrest reports for Polk County, Georgia do not reflect the guilt or innocence of the individuals listed. All parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Not every arrest/charge leads to a conviction. A conviction or acquittal is determined by the court system.
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