A former Martinsville doctor, Joel Smithers, has been convicted on 467 federal charges related to the illegal distribution of controlled substances following a three-week jury trial in U.S. District Court in Abingdon. Smithers, 42, was found guilty of maintaining a facility for the unlawful distribution of drugs and unlawfully prescribing Schedule II controlled substances.
A Major Step in Combatting the Opioid Epidemic
The conviction came after 16 hours of jury deliberation and is seen as a significant step in addressing the opioid epidemic in Southwest Virginia. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia announced the verdict, with Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee condemning Smithers’ actions.
“For many years, this defendant betrayed the trust placed in him by his patients, his community, and the medical profession as a whole,” Lee stated, emphasizing that Smithers’ illegal distribution of opioids put countless lives at risk.
The Consequences of Reckless Practices
Shane Todd, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA, added that Smithers’ reckless practices placed profits over patients’ well-being. “Today’s conviction demonstrates Smithers’s criminal indifference to the lives of others,” Todd said.
Smithers opened a medical practice in Martinsville in 2015, prescribing controlled substances to every patient he treated, leading to the distribution of over 500,000 Schedule II controlled substances. His practice earned the label of a “pill mill,” contributing to the worsening opioid crisis in the region.
Retrial and Overturned Conviction
Smithers was originally convicted in 2019, but the U.S. Supreme Court later overturned the conviction, citing changes to legal standards related to jury instructions in healthcare drug distribution cases. A retrial was ordered, resulting in last week’s conviction.
Implications for Southwest Virginia
Attorney General Jason Miyares underscored the broader implications for Southwest Virginia, noting that Smithers’ “pill mill” violated the core principle of the Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm.”
Smithers now faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the distribution charges and additional penalties for maintaining a facility for illegal drug distribution. Sentencing is scheduled for March 3, 2025.
This conviction serves as a stark reminder of the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic and the critical role of law enforcement and the justice system in holding healthcare providers accountable for their actions.