Attorney General Bondi's Weekly Briefing
On behalf of all of the attorneys general in the country, yesterday I provided a prescription drug abuse presentation to the Prescription Drug Abuse Working Group of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. As Co-Chair of the Substance Abuse Subcommittee of the National Association of Attorneys General, it was an honor to provide an overview of prescription drug abuse prevention measures, law enforcement efforts, drug-exposed newborns, and policy recommendations. Florida has worked diligently to shed its notorious distinction as the “pill mill capital of the nation,” and we are fortunate to have seen the first downward trend in prescription drug related deaths in almost a decade. I believe the knowledge and strategies we have implemented in Florida can help leaders throughout the nation tackle this epidemic.
Also, this week Governor Scott signed the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act. This legislation will crack down on hit-and-runs by decreasing incentives to leave the scene of DUI related accidents. I commend Patty Cohen for her bravery in transforming her tragedy into action to protect others.
Attorney General: Man allegedly choked disabled adult at group home, Action News Jax
Law cracks down on hit-run drivers, Sun Sentinel
Protecting Floridians
Seminole County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Pornography
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Oviedo resident Herbert Roger Mathis, 39, pled guilty to 20 counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Seminole County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. sentenced Mathis to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised sex offender probation. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Homeland Security/ICE, Altamonte Police Department, Oviedo Police Department and the Winter Springs Police Department recovered child pornography images from Mathis during a search warrant of Mathis' Oviedo home.
Attorney General’s Office Arrests a Jacksonville Man for Abuse
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested Mark Keith Griffin, 44, on a felony warrant for Abuse of an Elderly or Disabled Adult, a third degree felony. After receiving a referral from Department of Children and Family’s Adult Protective Services, the MFCU discovered Griffin allegedly choked a disabled adult resident while employed at Shady Pine Group Home in Duval County. He was terminated immediately following the incident. If convicted, Griffin faces five years in prison and $5,000 in fines. This case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office Obtains $225 Million Settlement in Business Development Scam
Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General’s Office have obtained final judgments totaling $255 million in monetary relief against The Tax Club, Inc., a telemarketing operation, and its owners. The judgments also permanently enjoin The Tax Club and its owners from continuing certain telemarketing activities. The settlement resolves allegations that The Tax Club enterprise took more than $200 million from thousands of consumers, including Florida consumers, through an elaborate small-business development telemarketing scheme that involved twelve interrelated corporate entities, using dozens of different business names, all controlled by a small group of four individuals.
Hillsborough County Doctor Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Traffic Over 28 Grams of Oxycodone
Following a prosecution by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Hillsborough County man Dr. Paul Awa, 62, was found guilty of Conspiracy to Traffic more than 28 grams of Oxycodone. While working at J.W. Wellness pain management clinic, Dr. Awa operated at three different locations in Hillsborough County prescribing Oxycodone to individuals from across Florida and those from out of state. The Tampa Police Department executed a search warrant after an investigation revealed that Dr. Awa was prescribing excessive amounts of Oxycodone and other controlled substances to his patients regardless of their injuries or complaints. Additionally, Dr. Awa performed only cursory physical examinations not deemed adequate enough to evaluate or confirm a patient’s reported injury.
On behalf of all of the attorneys general in the country, yesterday I provided a prescription drug abuse presentation to the Prescription Drug Abuse Working Group of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. As Co-Chair of the Substance Abuse Subcommittee of the National Association of Attorneys General, it was an honor to provide an overview of prescription drug abuse prevention measures, law enforcement efforts, drug-exposed newborns, and policy recommendations. Florida has worked diligently to shed its notorious distinction as the “pill mill capital of the nation,” and we are fortunate to have seen the first downward trend in prescription drug related deaths in almost a decade. I believe the knowledge and strategies we have implemented in Florida can help leaders throughout the nation tackle this epidemic.
Also, this week Governor Scott signed the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act. This legislation will crack down on hit-and-runs by decreasing incentives to leave the scene of DUI related accidents. I commend Patty Cohen for her bravery in transforming her tragedy into action to protect others.
Attorney General: Man allegedly choked disabled adult at group home, Action News Jax
Law cracks down on hit-run drivers, Sun Sentinel
Protecting Floridians
Seminole County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Pornography
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Oviedo resident Herbert Roger Mathis, 39, pled guilty to 20 counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Seminole County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. sentenced Mathis to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised sex offender probation. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Homeland Security/ICE, Altamonte Police Department, Oviedo Police Department and the Winter Springs Police Department recovered child pornography images from Mathis during a search warrant of Mathis' Oviedo home.
Attorney General’s Office Arrests a Jacksonville Man for Abuse
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested Mark Keith Griffin, 44, on a felony warrant for Abuse of an Elderly or Disabled Adult, a third degree felony. After receiving a referral from Department of Children and Family’s Adult Protective Services, the MFCU discovered Griffin allegedly choked a disabled adult resident while employed at Shady Pine Group Home in Duval County. He was terminated immediately following the incident. If convicted, Griffin faces five years in prison and $5,000 in fines. This case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office Obtains $225 Million Settlement in Business Development Scam
Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General’s Office have obtained final judgments totaling $255 million in monetary relief against The Tax Club, Inc., a telemarketing operation, and its owners. The judgments also permanently enjoin The Tax Club and its owners from continuing certain telemarketing activities. The settlement resolves allegations that The Tax Club enterprise took more than $200 million from thousands of consumers, including Florida consumers, through an elaborate small-business development telemarketing scheme that involved twelve interrelated corporate entities, using dozens of different business names, all controlled by a small group of four individuals.
Hillsborough County Doctor Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Traffic Over 28 Grams of Oxycodone
Following a prosecution by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Hillsborough County man Dr. Paul Awa, 62, was found guilty of Conspiracy to Traffic more than 28 grams of Oxycodone. While working at J.W. Wellness pain management clinic, Dr. Awa operated at three different locations in Hillsborough County prescribing Oxycodone to individuals from across Florida and those from out of state. The Tampa Police Department executed a search warrant after an investigation revealed that Dr. Awa was prescribing excessive amounts of Oxycodone and other controlled substances to his patients regardless of their injuries or complaints. Additionally, Dr. Awa performed only cursory physical examinations not deemed adequate enough to evaluate or confirm a patient’s reported injury.