Central Florida doctor accused of getting paid to write illegal opioid prescriptions
A Central Florida doctor has been charged in a multimillion-dollar drug conspiracy that investigators said started in Michigan and put hundreds of thousands of prescription pills out on the street.
Dr. Juan Bayolo is accused of getting paid to illegally write opioid prescriptions for patients who had no need for the drugs. Records show he is still allowed to practice medicine and has two offices in Central Florida; one in Sanford and the other in Deltona.
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He was indicted last week in federal court along with several people from Michigan and another doctor licensed in Arizona. Records state, “Dr. Juan Bayolo prescribed more than 74,000 dosage units of controlled substance medications.”
The indictment alleges the suspects operated pain clinics at different locations around Detroit, Michigan, and there were people who recruited fake patients. Investigators said those patients did telehealth visits with Bayolo, who was paid to illegally write prescriptions.
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Bayolo’s office workers said they didn’t know that he had been indicted.
“The medical professionals who betrayed their oath to get rich off of substance use disorder are the most insidious actors in this scheme,” the U.S. attorney in the case said.
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Bayolo was released from custody following his arrest on Friday while he awaits trial on the charges in Michigan.
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