Three doctors have been allowed to go home while the feds are playing hardball with the alleged mastermind of what they say is a major opioid medical fraud case that involved close to a half billion dollars in claims and 13 million prescriptions.
The feds say the owner-operator of three pain clinics raided on Thursday, Dr. Rejendra Bothra, should be locked up.
Two of the clinics are in Warren, and the third is in Eastpointe.
In court Friday afternoon, the feds argued Dr. Bothra has assets of $35 million, more than $1 million of which is in India.
While the feds have frozen much of his assets, they say he still has access to $7 to $8 million.
They argued to the Magistrate that this opioid case is just as serious as a street drug dealer. And that patients were often given unnecessary treatment or had little to no history checked before billing Medicare, Medicaid, and Insurance.
The defense attorney for Dr. Bothra admits his client is a wealthy man, but he did not make his money through the case charged.
Rather he’s been a doctor for 45 years, and from 1975 to 200,1 was the Chief Surgeon at Holy Cross Hospital. He argues Dr. Bothra should be treated as the other doctors and released on bond.
Three of those co-defendants have been released without posting any cash, but are under orders not to travel outside of the country, not to work as doctors, and not to contact each other.
Two other doctors charged will be in for an arraignment next week.
The detention hearing with Dr. Bothra will continue next Wednesday. He remains in custody.
