FEDERAL COURT TWO DOCTORS SENTENCED IN OXYCONTIN CASE

Center Worker Also Sent To Prison

FLORENCE - A federal judge has sentenced two doctors and an employee from a
former Myrtle Beach pain center for improperly prescribing narcotics, including
the painkiller OxyContin, over about five years.

Drs. Michael Woodward and Venkata Pulivarthi are the first of seven doctors
from the Comprehensive Care and Pain Management Center to face sentencing.

Woodward, the former owner of the center, must serve 15 years, followed by 3
years of supervised release.

Pulivarthi, who worked at the center about three months, was sentenced to three
years probation.

Windy Suggs, an employee at the business, received a two-year sentence,
followed by three years of supervised release.

A 93-count federal indictment that included allegations of illegal distribution
of narcotics and health care fraud named eight doctors and three employees. One
doctor, Benjamin Moore, committed suicide after pleading guilty.

Federal Judge C. Weston Houck issued the sentences Monday, reducing each
because the three defendants helped investigators.

During a two-week trial in January and February, a parade of former patients
described the pain center as an OxyContin distribution point.

Although many consider OxyContin effective for chronic pain, it's commonly
misused, experts say.

Monday's sentences could make people aware that if they misuse OxyContin, they
can be prosecuted, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Day said.

"The message is they can get sentenced to jail time," Day said.

For Litchfield Beach resident William King III, the sentences represent
justice. He said his sister, Patricia King, a former patient of Woodward's,
overdosed about seven years ago.

"I trust in the judgment of Judge Houck," he said.

Before his sentence, Woodward said, "As you know, I've had a long time to
reflect on my acts, and I believe I am a better person now than I used to be."

He was sentenced for drug conspiracy, health care fraud and money laundering.

His lawyer, William Watkins, asked Houck to allow him to be in prison near
Florida, where his wife and children live. It was not clear Monday where he
would be located.

Pulivarthi said he was guilty of poor judgement for working at the center so
long. He was sentenced on drug conspiracy charges.

Suggs apologized and asked for mercy after her family and friends asked the
judge for leniency. She was sentenced for money laundering.

Houck also reduced the sentence of David Vandergriff, another former employee,
from 15 months to just more than 12 months. Vandergriff has served about six
months.

Awaiting sentencing are Drs. Deborah Sutherland, Ricardo Alerre, Michael
Jackson, Thomas Devlin and Deborah Bordeaux. Sentencing dates have not been
set.