Pubdate: Sat, 22 Jul 2006
Source: Morning Sentinel (ME)
Copyright: 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.onlinesentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1474
Author: Gregory D. Kesich, Blethen Maine Newspapers
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?232 (Chronic Pain)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

ADDICTION SPECIALIST CONVICTED

A federal jury convicted addiction treatment specialist Dr. Mark 
Shinderman Thursday of forging prescriptions for patients of his 
Westbrook methadone clinic.

Shinderman, a well known Illinois psychiatrist who is considered an 
expert in addiction medicine, faces prison time for his conviction on 
59 of the 67 charges against him. He was found guilty in U.S. 
District Court of writing another doctor's name and federal 
registration number on 25 prescriptions for controlled substances.

The prescriptions were written during 2001 and 2002, when Shinderman 
was seeing patients at CAP Quality Care, the for-profit methadone 
clinic owned by his wife Noa. Shinderman was also convicted of 25 
counts of aiding and abetting the acquisition of controlled 
substances by deception and two counts of falsifying records kept by 
a pharmacy.

The jury split on 15 counts of making false statements on medical 
records, convicting him of six and finding him not guilty on the 
rest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Clark said the convictions 
showed the jury rejected the defense claim that Shinderman committed 
only minor offenses while providing legitimate medical services to 
his patients and caused no harm to them.

"The harm is to the system of regulation," Clark said. "Every step in 
the closed system of distribution requires a Drug Enforcement 
Administration number, and the people expect accountability."

Clark said the verdict upheld the principle that Shinderman's 
disregard for the law is serious. "The people of Maine expect their 
doctors to follow the rules," he said.

Although it was not part of the charges against him, Shinderman's 
30-year history as a provider of methadone to treat people addicted 
to opiates such as heroin was a recurrent theme among the witnesses 
in the trial. Shinderman owns and operates two methadone clinics in 
Chicago, Ill. But he testified that since coming to Maine in 2001, he 
had been the subject of a "witch hunt" by federal authorities, who 
denied him a DEA registration number to write prescriptions here.

Shinderman was supported by many who treat drug addicts in the state. 
They said his clinic offered the best treatment in part because 
Shinderman, who is a psychiatrist, offered free services that 
included prescribing anti-anxiety and other medications to help 
patients deal with their addictions.

Supporters rejected the government's claim that Shinderman wrote the 
prescriptions to attract patients, saying the drug addiction epidemic 
meant Shinderman had more patients than he could handle.

Michael Cunniff, one of Shinderman's lawyers, said that controversy 
over methadone treatment -- giving an opioid addict daily doses of 
another addictive drug to prevent cravings and withdrawal symptoms -- 
was the backdrop of the prosecution against his client. "It was 
evident throughout the trial that methadone was an issue," Cunniff 
said. "We made every effort to keep it out."

Shinderman, 64, a tall and dignified-looking man with a neatly 
trimmed gray beard, bowed his head in the courtroom as the clerk read 
the jury's verdict shortly before 6 p.m., following nearly 13 hours 
of deliberation. As soon as the jury left the courtroom, he comforted 
his wife and about 30 friends and family members before walking outside.

He is on bail while awaiting sentencing, which could be in about three months.

"I'm clearly disappointed about the verdict, but I'm happy I had my 
day in court," he said to reporters. "I just want to say thank you."

The government contended that Shinderman wrote prescriptions for 
controlled substances that included benzodiazepine drugs, which are 
known as "benzos" and are popular with some methadone patients 
because they enhance the euphoric effect of the drug. Shinderman was 
also known for his published opinion that for years doctors had 
under-prescribed methadone to some patients, causing them to relapse 
into using street drugs.

While the normal therapeutic dose of methadone is 80 to 100 
milligrams a day and never exceeds 150 milligrams at the only other 
greater Portland clinic, according to trial testimony, some CAP 
patients received much more.

Sharon Pratt, who came to the clinic when it opened after becoming 
addicted to pain medication she received during cancer treatment, 
ended up receiving 1,050 milligrams a day. She said Shinderman also 
prescribed other medications for her.

As a result of her high dose, she said she fell asleep while driving 
her car and then had a heart attack she attributes to the methadone. 
She filed a complaint with he state medical licensing board and has a 
pending civil case against Shinderman.

She testified against Shinderman at his criminal trial and waited at 
the court all day Thursday for the verdict. She said patients at CAP 
liked to see Shinderman because he would write prescriptions without arguing.

"This sounds weird, but I think he did it because he wanted to be 
popular," Pratt said. "I think he liked the attention he got, with 
everybody thinking he was awesome." Pratt said she was grateful for 
the verdict, "on behalf of everyone who was victimized by this man."

Shinderman's methadone practice will be the focus of a pending civil 
case against CAP by the U.S. Government. It is expected to go to 
trial early next year.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman