A Texarkana physician, Dr. Lonnie Parker, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for two counts of distributing a Schedule II controlled substance without a valid prescription. He was also sentenced to 12 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for two counts of distributing a Schedule V controlled substance without a valid prescription. The sentences will run concurrently. The sentencing took place in the United States District Court in Texarkana, with Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presiding.
The investigation, led by the DEA’s Little Rock District Office, began in 2018 after complaints about a suspected “pill mill” and a possible overdose death connected to Dr. Parker. According to court documents, Dr. Parker was found to have prescribed over 1.2 million doses of opiates and 16 gallons of promethazine with codeine cough syrup to patients in the Texarkana area, often in unusually large quantities. Many prescriptions were given to patients at high risk for substance abuse.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes announced the sentencing.
