Warrants: Limbaugh Was 'Doctor Shopping'

My Way.Com ^ | 12/4/03 | Jill Barton

[Lucky2]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Investigators raided the offices of Rush Limbaugh's doctor Thursday, saying in search warrants that the conservative radio commentator engaged in illegal drug use and "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers.

The warrants show investigators were looking for records including prescription disbursements, appointment schedules, receipts and a medical questionnaire.

"Mr. Limbaugh's actions violate the letter, and spirit" of the law that relates to "doctor shopping," stated one of warrants, signed by Asim Brown, a law enforcement agent assigned to the state attorney's office anti-money laundering task force. Doctor shopping refers to looking for a doctor willing to prescribe drugs illegally.

Limbaugh denied any wrongdoing to listeners on his radio show earlier Thursday and accused prosecutors in Palm Beach County of going on a "fishing expedition."

[DaughterofEve]

[I must admit, I have a stash in the house. My greatest fear is having to live like that again.]

The difference between you and many others is that you admitted it. I have a feeling it is the story of a large percentage.

Does anyone remember an old Burt Reynolds/Jill Clayburgh movie where someone (Jill? Burt?) had a panic attack in Bloomingdales, and someone asked, "Does anyone have a Valium?" and on cue there were a gaggle of women shoppers who immediately dug in their purse and produced one on command...or something like that. The years and drug may be different, but the idea is the same.

[newzjunkey]

It's difficult to tell if this is a violation of "doctor shopping" or a case of innocent activity. Rush has long proudly said he does not carry any health insurance. He pays out of pocket and goes to whichever doctor is best suited for his condition and presumably doesn't think twice of getting alternative opinions. At times this has required flights to meet his treating doctors including one, I think, during 9/11.

If indeed his medical records bare out what his lawyer claims regarding a legitimate need for the controlled medications for various conditions, this will be a massive slap in the face of a nanny-state government and case of over-zealous prosecution perhaps at the cost of one prominent host's reputation.

Will they be able to prove he wasn't simply behaving like a man of extraordinary means who isn't bound by an HMO's control unlike so many of us? They had better tread carefully and have a solid case.

[gcruse]

Pot isn't a narcotic?

Marijuana is not a narcotic within the definition of narcotics controlling the application of 21 U.S.C. 174.

Marijuana is not a narcotic. Although California law calls it a narcotic, it is
pharmacologically distinct from the family of opium derivatives and synthetic narcotics.
(Wolstenholme, 1965; Watt, 1965; Garattini, 1965; 1 Crim 5351 Calif. District Court of
Appeal, 1st Appel. Dist.)

[mathluv]

I repeat, i must have missed his trial and conviction. An admission of pain pill addiction, presribed by his doctor(s), is a problem - not necessarily a crime.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

My greatest fear is having to live like that again

Meaning in chronic, unrelievable pain with no doctor (we have since moved away from my wonderful team of doctors) willing to do more than say "Tests are negative, go home, relax"

I am not defending those that use narcotics as recreational drugs and doctor shop to obtain a supply to use and or sell. I am giving Rush the benefit of the doubt as NOT being in that category until if and when it is a proven fact.

What I speak of is pain management by responsible physicans and patients.

[GOPrincess]

According to the Fox News story, one of the doctors served was Antonio De La Cruz. This doesn't jive with the rest of the story, that the four doctors were in Palm Beach, unless De La Cruz also practices as an ENT in Palm Beach. De La Cruz is the surgeon who did Rush's cochlear implant surgery at the House Ear Clinic in L.A. Gee, ya think he might have prescribed Rush some painkillers? I would hope so.

[deport]

Doctor.... doctor.......

Warrants: Limbaugh Was 'Doctor Shopping'

23 minutes ago

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By JILL BARTON, Associated Press Writer

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Investigators who raided the offices of Rush Limbaugh's doctors said in search warrants filed Thursday that the conservative radio commentator engaged in illegal drug use and "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers.

Reuters Photo

The warrants — which name four doctors and several prescription drugs — show investigators were looking for medical, insurance and appointment records for Limbaugh, as well as cash receipts and prescription forms, when they raided two offices Nov. 25. No charges have been filed and no arrests have been made.

"Mr. Limbaugh's actions violate the letter, and spirit" of the law that relates to doctor shopping, stated one of warrants, signed by Asim Brown, a law enforcement agent assigned to the state attorney's office anti-money laundering task force.

Doctor shopping refers to looking for a doctor willing to prescribe drugs illegally, or getting prescriptions for a single drug from more than one doctor at the same time.

"The prescriptions were issued sometimes in the same week and less than 30 days apart," the warrants said. "Mr. Limbaugh alternated physicians to obtain overlapping prescriptions" and failed to tell each doctor that he was seeing others.

Limbaugh denied any wrongdoing to listeners on his radio show earlier Thursday and accused prosecutors in Palm Beach County of going on a "fishing expedition."

Reading from a statement prepared by his attorney Roy Black, Limbaugh said the medical records will clear him.

"What these records show is that Mr. Limbaugh suffered extreme pain and had legitimate reasons for taking pain medication," Limbaugh said. "Unfortunately, because of Mr. Limbaugh's prominence and well-known political opinions, he is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure."

State Attorney Barry Krischer said in a statement that Limbaugh's rights have been "scrupulously protected."

"Whether Mr. Limbaugh is subject to prosecution for any crimes is still under investigation. Mr. Limbaugh is presumed innocent," Krischer said.

The warrants, filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, show that prosecutors began investigating in December 2002 after Limbaugh's former maid, Wilma Cline, told them she sold Limbaugh "large quantities of hydrocodone, Oxycontin and other pharmaceutical drugs in Palm Beach County over the course of many years."

Cline provided investigators with e-mails and answering machine recordings to support her claims, according to the warrants.

The medical offices were raided after investigators examined records from Palm Beach pharmacies near Limbaugh's $24 million oceanfront mansion that they say support the doctor-shopping allegations.

The records seized in the raids list prescriptions for more than 2,100 pills from March 24 through Sept. 26. The medications include the powerful painkillers Oxycontin, Lorcet, Norco, hydrocodone and Kadian. In addition, Limbaugh received prescriptions for the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, the cholesterol-lowering drug Niacin, and Clonodine, which treats high blood pressure.

Two of the four search warrants filed Thursday in Palm Beach Circuit Court were executed at the offices of Jupiter Outpatient Surgery Center. A third was executed at Palm Beach Ear, Nose and Throat Association in Palm Beach Gardens. A fourth for the same location has not yet been executed.

The physicians named in the warrants are Nathaniel Drourr, Antonio De La Cruz, Lawrence Deziel and John Murray.

Drourr and officials at both centers declined comment, citing privacy laws. Murray did not return a phone call seeking comment, and the other doctors could not be immediately reached.

Limbaugh was absent from his show for five weeks recently while spending time at a drug rehabilitation program because of his addiction to prescription painkillers.

Previously, law enforcement sources in Palm Beach County confirmed that a criminal investigation into a prescription drug ring involved Limbaugh.

Last month, a law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity said authorities also were investigating the money trail related to Limbaugh's drug purchases.

Limbaugh allegedly withdrew cash 30 to 40 times at amounts just under the $10,000 limit that requires a bank to report the transaction to the federal government. The radio host responded with a blanket denial of the allegations during his third day back on the air.

Limbaugh, reading from his lawyer's statement, said Thursday, "Let us make our position clear: Rush Limbaugh is not part of a drug ring. He was never a target of a drug investigation. He became addicted to a prescription drug during legitimate medical treatment. He has publicly admitted this problem and has successfully sought treatment which continues today."

Black did not return a call seeking comment.

[virgil]

This is not about justice as much as it being about silencing voices.

[ladyinred]

This is the sticky part for me . As you said, Rush had the money to get the best medical care. IF he did buy the drugs off the street, I want to know why. I understand the addiction, but not buying them illegally, unless no doctor would prescribe them for him. But I will give him the benefit of the doubt until he tells us what really happened.

[InterceptPoint]

Smells like a witch hunt to me.

Of course it's a witch hunt but the law is the law.

I happen to think the drug laws are stupid and violate our constitutional rights so I can take Rush's side in this matter and maintain a logically consistent position. For all of you Freepers who believe in throwing people in jail for taking drugs you don't like then you must either agree that Rush should serve his time according to the law or admit to holding an irrational position on drug use. You simply cannot be for drug laws that restrict the use of drugs that Rush is using and take the position that he should not serve time for not obeying those laws.

I know I'm right.

[ladyinred]

Marijuana is not a narcotic within the definition of narcotics controlling the application of 21 U.S.C. 174.

Thanks, I guess because I live in California, I have always thought of it as a narcotic.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Boy, Rush had no problem with his back when it came to jetting across the nation to play golf, but evidently he had to convey his pain to as many doctors as he could pay off.

"Elvis Limbaugh", portrait in hypocrisy....

[ladyinred]

This is not about justice as much as it being about silencing voices.

That is exactly what I think too. The reason being that they got him kicked off the ESPN show, then this, and now they are going after Hannity. They are hellbent on stopping what they call "right wing" media.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Yah think? Hey, maybe Rush faked the hearing loss to get more pills.....yeah, that's the ticket!

There are many opinions about what should or should not happen to Rush and I doubt many minds are changed after reasonable discussion about the possible causes for his addiction.

However, let no one doubt there is an agenda out there to shut him up at the most or completely discredit him at the least.

Regardless of what anyone thinks about Rush's addiction, please do not forget the hatred behind that agenda. They believe they can silence us by silencing Rush. By doing so, they believe they can better control the flow of information. It is an attempt to regain control of the masses. I still say it has bubba's fingerprints all over it.

[gcruse]

No, it doesn't have much more kick than beer, if that, but you'll never get the drug warriors to admit it.

[EverFree]

> That's how our constitution works isn't it?
NEGATIVE.
The burden is not on the citizens to lobby the gov't for permission to be free.

The process of scheduling of drugs, and so determining their legality involves, from start to finish, not one publicly elected representative of the people. As far as the constitution goes, the whole process is built upon that steaming pile of socialist sophistry

Bullseye, tacticalogic.

[gcruse]

This is not about justice as much as it being about silencing voices.

The entire WOD is not about justice as much as eliminating behaviors.
Prohibition was the most expensive lesson ever wasted on America.

[Lazamataz]

I hear you. "Doctor shopping"?! Give me a break. Are we living under a totalitarian regime?

Yes, of course we are.

[unsycophant]

He also did interviews on radio and television programs advocating the legalization of pot, and often talked about being high as the interviews were being conducted. I had the impression he was baiting/daring the authorities to go after him--or--after his Internet business which supposedly marketed supplies to teenagers.

I never got the idea that Rush flaunted his use, or encouraged others to participate. In fact--this thread is kind of about his trying to hide it--I think.

I don't believe the analogy of Chong v. Rush works.

[EverFree]

Only the threat of state violence and coersion forces us to live in an alternative reality where pot "Is" a narcotic.

You can't argue with people pointing guns at you; if Mr. Law said your dog is a narcotic you better not argue and just accept it like a good californian american.

> That's how our constitution works isn't it?
NEGATIVE.
The burden is not on the citizens to lobby the gov't for permission to be free.