GRAND JURY INDICTS 2 IN DRUG SCHEME

A Miami Beach Doctor And His Aide Are Accused of Fraud And Prescribing
Painkillers Illegally

TALLAHASSEE -- A Miami Beach doctor described by officials as the state's
largest prescriber of OxyContin was accused Tuesday of illegally
distributing the painkiller in a scheme dating back to June 2003.

Dr. Armando J. Solis and his assistant, Harold Fox, made court appearances
in Miami on Tuesday after a grand jury in Miami unsealed a 15-count
indictment charging the men with conspiracy to defraud Medicaid and illegal
distribution of the powerful medication.

Attorney General Charlie Crist said Solis was the state's most prolific
prescriber of OxyContin, having written more than $900,000 worth of
prescriptions for the drug since 2000. In the past two years, more than
$9.8 million in Medicaid drug costs have been subscribed under Solis'
medical-license number, officials said.

"We believe that the evidence will show that Dr. Solis was a drug dealer in
a white coat," Crist said.

Crist, Gov. Jeb Bush and officials involved in the investigation of the
Miami Beach practice praised the arrests as a sign of the state's
stepped-up efforts to go after medical professionals who illegally deal drugs.

The state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, a division of Crist's office, has
made 43 arrests this year, stemming from 146 cases referred to that unit by
state health regulators. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, and
they refused to answer any questions about the scope of their probe and
whether other doctors, pharmacists and Medicaid recipients will be implicated.

Solis and Fox allegedly wrote prescriptions for drugs to Medicaid patients
without properly determining the medical necessity for the pain relievers.
In three incidents, Solis signed prescriptions for OxyContin and other
drugs for several patients without even seeing the individuals, the
indictment says. Health officials last year had taken Solis off a state
list of Medicaid providers.

There are now more than 2,000 overdose deaths involving prescription drugs
each year in Florida, said Jim McDonough, director of Florida's Office of
Drug Control.

Solis and Fox could not be reached for comment. Their arrest and indictment
were announced by authorities in Tallahassee, where lawmakers are gearing
up to consider Medicaid reforms and cost cutting to the government's
prescription-drug programs next year.

Last year, the Legislature balked at approving a drug-monitoring computer
system to help investigators track down patients who have been shopping for
multiple prescriptions and falsely billing the state's $14 billion Medicaid
program.