Ga. doctor accused in prescription pill ring indicted again

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A new indictment adds to the charges against a Georgia doctor accused of conspiring with others to distribute illegal prescription pills.

The Sun Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1L4SV8K ) a federal grand jury in Mississippi handed down the new 17-count indictment Wednesday. It is the third indictment filed against Dr. Sanjay Sinha of Woodstock, Georgia.

Sinha waived an initial appearance on the latest charges and entered a plea of not guilty through his attorney Christopher E. Smith of Gulfport.

An initial indictment alleged Sinha of conspired with Biloxi casino workers to distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone in Harrison County from 2009 until mid-February. Sinha was one of four indicted in that case. All but Sinha have since pleaded guilty in plea agreements with the government.

Prosecutors accuse Sinha, who is not licensed to practice medicine in Mississippi, of operating outside the scope of a medical practice.

In a first superseding indictment, Sinha and two others are accused in a conspiracy dating to 2008 involving distribution of oxycodone, hydrocodone and clonazepam. That conspiracy took place in Harrison County, though the distribution of the pills occurred 13 times in Jackson County, records show.

The latest 17-count superseding indictment accuses Sinha in another conspiracy to distribute hydrocodone, oxycodone and clonazepam dating to 2008. The conspiracy also occurred in Harrison County, though the distribution of prescription pills allegedly took place 16 times in Jackson County between Jan. 2, 2010, and June 2, 2012.

Sinha is charged with one count of conspiracy and 16 counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

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Information from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com