A doctor described as a giant in the field of addiction treatment will spend six months in prison for forging prescription slips and medical records, a judge decided Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland. As a psychiatrist in Illinois, Marc Shinderman, 64, wrote groundbreaking articles on the proper dose for methadone patients and simultaneous treatment of psychiatric and addiction disorders. But in Maine, where he was not licensed to prescribe controlled drugs, his practice of forging prescriptions and then falsifying log books to make it look as though patients had been seen by doctors with valid registrations led to criminal charges. He was convicted in July of 58 felony offenses. [continues 664 words]
A federal jury on Thursday convicted addiction treatment specialist Dr. Mark Shinderman of forging prescriptions for patients at a Westbrook methadone clinic. Shinderman, a well-known Illinois psychiatrist who is considered an expert in addiction medicine, faces prison time and fines for his convictions on 58 of the 68 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. [continues 791 words]
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. [continues 737 words]
A nationally renowned and controversial doctor in the field of methadone treatment was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Portland on charges that he falsified records and wrote prescriptions for controlled substances without a permit. Dr. Marc Shinderman was also named in a civil complaint that alleges that through CAP Quality Care, his for-profit methadone clinic in Westbrook, Shinderman engaged in Medicaid fraud by dispensing take-home doses of methadone to patients who did not qualify for them. The complaint alleges that Shinderman billed Medicaid for counseling and treatment that patients did not receive. [continues 449 words]
The family of Seth Jordan, a Long Island man who died of a methadone overdose, is suing the doctors and clinic that supplied the fatal drug. In a lawsuit filed in Cumberland County Superior Court, Nancy and Robert Jordan claim that CAP Quality Care Inc., an addiction treatment center in Westbrook, over-supplied Scott Darling, a client, and allowed him to take extra doses home. As a result, the suit alleges, Darling, 41, of Raymond, had enough methadone to satisfy his own cravings and give or sell some to the Jordans' son. Seth Jordan, a Duke University graduate who was struggling with addiction and mental illness, was found dead in the stairwell of an East End apartment on Aug. 14, 2002. He was 27. [continues 708 words]
A bill that would ease prison overcrowding by giving inmates more time off for good behavior is a step closer to becoming law. The Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee approved the measure by a unanimous vote late Wednesday, after a contentious series of hearings. Supporters say the bill would ease crowding in the state's prison and probation systems by allowing prisoners who take part in work, education and rehabilitation programs to reduce their time behind bars. Critics argue that it would solve a budget problem by putting convicted criminals out on the street. [continues 675 words]
The label said "documents," but the smell told FedEx workers that the packages contained something else. When they looked inside, they found 60 pounds of plant roots, stems and leaves wrapped in bundles. A federal narcotics agent determined that they contained khat, a plant used as a stimulant in East Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula. The next day, police arrested Abdigani Hussein, 30, of Portland, for trying to collect the package. They charged him with possession of cathinone, a controlled substance classified in the same category as cocaine, heroin and LSD under federal law. Hussein was arraigned in federal court this week, and, if convicted, faces up to 20 years in prison. [continues 896 words]
