CORONER CHARGED IN DRUG CONSPIRACY

St. Bernard Doctor Could Lose License

St. Bernard Parish Coroner Paul Verrette has been charged in federal court
with felony conspiracy to distribute a prescription drug "outside the scope
of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose,"
according to a bill of information.

Verrette pleaded innocent in a Sept. 24 appearance before a federal
magistrate in New Orleans. But U.S. District Court documents show he will
be rearraigned Oct. 31, indicating his plea will change.

If convicted, Verrette could face a jail sentence and lose both his medical
license and his job as coroner. Verrette, who specializes in internal
medicine, has a private practice in Chalmette and is the leading admitter
of patients at Chalmette Medical Center. He was elected coroner in 1995.

Verrette said Friday he couldn't comment on the charge but said he is still
practicing medicine.

"At this point, my medical practice is unaffected," he said, "and this has
nothing to do with the manner in which I practice medicine."

The bill of information, two pages long and short on details, was filed
Sept. 14 after an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration,
officials said.

It alleges that Verrette "knowingly and intentionally combined, conspired,
confederated and agreed with persons known and unknown to dispense" about
480 units of Adipex-P, a diet drug and stimulant.

"This has nothing to do with his job as coroner," said Peter Butler Jr.,
Verrette's attorney. "And this has nothing to do with his making any money."

U.S. attorneys Jim Letten and Matthew Coman didn't return phone calls Friday.

Verrette has faced professional controversy in the past. In 1992, his
medical license was suspended after he voluntarily acknowledged his
addiction to narcotic painkillers to the Louisiana Board of Medical
Examiners. The board required him to get inpatient and outpatient treatment
for four months, and his license was reinstated in January 1993. Verrette
was placed on probation for five years and, during that time, was
prohibited from prescribing narcotics.

A spokeswoman for the board of medical examiners said Verrette's license,
up for renewal Nov. 1, is currently in good standing. But if any doctor is
convicted of a crime, she said, "the board would have to do an investigation."

"We're going to go after them," she said, "whether it would be revoking
(the license), suspending or whatever."

A felony conviction also could jeopardize Verrette's job as coroner. State
law says "a public officer shall be removed from office for conviction,
during his term of office, of a felony."

A spokeswoman for Chalmette Medical Center declined to comment, and Sheriff
Jack Stephens, president of the Board of Governors for Chalmette Medical
Center and a patient of Verrette's, also said he couldn't comment.

Butler said Friday he expects a full investigation from the board of
medical examiners. But he made a point of separating Verrette's past from
the current charge.

"There's no suggestion or hint that Dr. Verrette consumed any of these
drugs," Butler said. "In fact, there's no suggestion that he had anything
to do with their sale."

During his 1995 campaign for coroner, Verrette addressed his painkiller
addiction in a straightforward manner and promised to use his personal
experiences to make the office more high-profile.

And Verrette has said he feels that in his tenure, the coroner's office has
been active in improving the overall well-being of the community. In
addition to anti-drug and anti-abuse programs, the coroner's office has
conducted programs on domestic violence, organ transplants and drug abuse,
and has participated in anti-drinking programs before high school prom nights.

Verrette counts several other public officials as business partners and
patients.

Council Vice Chairman Henry "Junior" Rodriguez, who has been treated
extensively by Verrette, said he was unaware of the pending federal charges.

Councilman Joey DiFatta and School Board member Diana Dysart are among
Verrette's partners in the Vickers, Verrette and Dornan Funeral Home in
Chalmette.

"I don't know what this is about," DiFatta said Friday, "but he is my
friend, and he always will be."