CINCINNATI — A Green Township doctor was one of 11 physicians charged in a federal drug bust, officials said in a news release Tuesday.
Dr. George Griffin, 70, was charged with 20 counts of distribution of controlled substances “for his alleged participation in the unlawful prescription of controlled substances outside of the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose,” federal officials said.
Griffin was one of 11 doctors and two other individuals charged in the Appalachian Region Prescription Opioid (ARPO) strikeforce’s second takedown.
Two other medical professionals were also charged in Ohio; 53-year-old Troy Balgo and 66-year-old Dr. Freeda Flynn, both of Saint Clairsville.
Medical professionals from West Virginia and Tennessee were also charged.
The task force’s first sting in April involved charges against 60 defendants — 53 were medical professionals — in 11 federal districts involving the illegal distribution of more than 23 million pills, federal officials said. Nine medical professionals have pleaded guilty.
