MISSOULA POLICE RAIDED MEDICAL POT BUSINESS SEEKING BLANK DOCTOR
RECOMMENDATIONS

Law enforcement officers who searched the medical marijuana business
run by Jason Christ last week did so based on allegations that he kept
hundreds of signed, blank doctor recommendations on hand, and altered
checks for filing fees to the state agency that keeps medical
marijuana records.

Several medical marijuana applications also bore physician signatures
that appeared to be forgeries, according to the search warrant made
public Tuesday.

Christ's Montana Caregivers Network helps people get physician
recommendations for medical marijuana and is best known for its
traveling "cannabis caravans" that sign up hundreds of patients within
a few hours.

The search conducted last Thursday at Christ's offices at Orange and
Front streets was based on the warrant that applied to criminal
distribution of dangerous drugs - marijuana - as well as forgery,
deceptive practices and tampering with public records or
information.

It stems from an investigation apparently begun in March, when
Christ's former bookkeeper, Anita Corrigan, told Missoula police
detective Jake Rosling that the business had stacks of blank,
pre-signed physician statements, according to the warrant application.
In June, another former employee, Susan Boykin, told Sgt. Collin Rose
she saw at least 1,000 such forms. Both Boykin and Corrigan had been
fired by Christ.

During last week's search, police seized a laptop and two external
drives; 729 blank, signed physician's statements; bank and other
documents; and seven Montana medical marijuana cards listing Christ as
caregiver that were either expired or changed.

Information from three other former Christ employees - Nicole
Harrington, Tiffany Klang and John Phillips, who are suing Christ for
wrongful termination - also was cited in the search warrant
application:

Phillips told Rose that Christ refused to refund $25 checks that
people wrote to Montana Caregivers Network to cover their state of
Montana filing fee.

"Harrington stated she saw Christ alter numerous twenty-five ($25)
dollar client checks that were sent in to the State of Montana by
changing or adding patient names to the memo line. ... The result of
these checks being altered was money did not go toward the bill of the
person the check writer intended," the warrant application said.

Rose calculated that fees from the 81 people involved amounted to
$2,025. Phillips also told police that Christ directed employees to go
ahead and process applications from 81 people denied medical marijuana
recommendations by their doctors.

In July, Rose subpoenaed records from the state Department of Public
Health and Human Services that showed medical marijuana applications
where physician signatures did not match and appeared to be forgeries,
according to the warrant.

Documents examiner Barbara Fortunate said four documents under a
single doctor's name appeared to have been signed by four different
people, according to the application.

Christ spoke to Rose on Sept. 17 in an interview recorded at the
Missoula Police Department.

"Christ stated he has physicians sign otherwise blank Attending
Physician's Statement-New Application forms and he keeps them in a
locked cabinet in his office to be filled out by approved medical
marijuana applicants," the search warrant said.

Christ also told Rose he's listed by the state of Montana as a medical
marijuana caregiver and has a few patient cards but doesn't act as a
caregiver. Christ told the Missoulian last week he serves as a
caregiver to two people.

At Christ's offices, all references to Montana Caregivers Network have
been removed. Signs now say Cannabis Care.