Former RI Hospital surgeon sentenced in pill scheme

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A former orthopedic surgeon at Rhode Island Hospital was sentenced to six months in prison for coordinating a prescription drug scheme that distributed tens of thousands of pills to coworkers, and was ordered to develop a presentation to warn students and physicians about the dangers of drug addiction.

Robert Villarreal, 33, formerly of Providence, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of prescription drugs. After he is released from prison he will serve one year at a halfway house, then be under four years of supervised release and have to serve 500 hours of community service.

Also sentenced Tuesday was a former orthopedic technician for the hospital who prosecutors said acted as a middleman in the scheme.

Gary Menissian, 49, of East Providence, pleaded guilty to the same drug charge and was sentenced to six months of home confinement, three years of supervised release and must perform 500 hours of community service.

Each defendant was facing up to 20 years in prison for the crime but U.S. District Court Judge William Smith said this was a case of "personal addiction gone wild."

There is no evidence that either men profited financially from the scheme, but rather it was to feed an addiction to prescription drugs. Particularly for Villarreal who admitted to consuming up to 20 Adderral pills a day; an amphetamine used to treat attention deficit disorders.

"I don’t see this as a typical drug conspiracy where people were selling drugs and going out and buying fancy cars," Smith said. "This was to feed addictions."

According to prosecutors, Villarreal forged prescriptions for Adderral to consume himself. They said he would also write fraudulent prescriptions for the amphetamine as well as Oxycodone and Hydrocodone for Menissian and nine other unnamed employees at Rhode Island Hospital.

In total, prosecutors estimate nearly 30,000 pills were distributed in a two year period.

Court documents revealed Menissian would connect Villarreal with coworkers to assist in the pill peddling. Villarreal would split the drugs between himself and the other employees he was writing the prescriptions for.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Hebert said some of the others involved in the scheme are still battling “significant” addictions.

"There were nine or 10 people at Rhode Island Hospital doped up helping people," Hebert said. "Think of the danger posed by this scheme."

A spokesperson for Lifespan, the parent company of Rhode Island Hospital, said they were only “made aware” of five individuals.

“Rhode Island Hospital conducted a full investigation and none of the individuals involved worked in the operating rooms,” said Gail Carvelli in a statement. “As a result of the investigation, Rhode Island Hospital took corrective action on five employees. No patient safety issues were identified.”

Carvelli declined to elaborate on what “corrective action” meant.

Villarreal's attorney Olin Thompson told the judge his client got hooked on the amphetamine when he was diagnosed with adult onset attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

"He's been humbled by the crime, he's been knocked down," Thompson said. "He's a man who appeared to have it all and lost everything."

Thompson asked the judge to spare Villarreal prison but Smith said serving time would enhance the message that Villarreal was tasked with delivering.

"[Prison time] is going to facilitate the deterrence to understand more deeply where that road can take you," Smith said. "You have a compelling and important story that needs to be heard by a lot of students and physicians."

In court, both defendants apologized for their actions. Villarreal told the judge was grateful for his sobriety.

"This addiction has taken me down a road I never thought I'd go." Villarreal said. "I've used the last year to come back."

Tim White ( twhite@wpri.com ) is the Target 12 investigative reporter for WPRI 12 and Fox Providence. Follow him on Twitter: @white_tim