Tracy Bias

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Frank Lewis

PDT Staff Writer

Former Portsmouth pain clinic operator Tracy Bias is scheduled to go on trial on June 24 in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bias was indicted on April 18, and his trial date set.

Bias, 47, of West Portsmouth, and six doctors were initially indicted in April 2012 in a 12-count indictment alleging that they operated three pain clinics in southern Ohio between January 2009 and June 2011. The pain clinics were Southern Ohio Complete Pain Management and Portsmouth Medical Solutions in Portsmouth and Trinity Medical Care in Columbus.

Later Attorney Steven E. Hillman, 67, of Dublin, Ohio, was charged with money laundering in connection with a case titled: U.S.A. Vs. Bias et al.

A federal grand jury indicted Hillman, alleging that he conspired with the owner of three pain clinics in Ohio, Tracy Bias, to illegally divert prescription drugs outside the scope of legitimate medical practice and launder proceeds of the conspiracy.

The indictment alleges that Hillman conspired with Bias in an attempt to open Physicians Pharmacy in Piketon in order to service prescriptions for illegal distribution of controlled substances issued by the pain clinics owned and controlled by Bias and others. The indictment charges that Hillman helped Bias launder $132,920 in cash from the activities of the conspiracy in July of 2010.

The indictment says customers allegedly traveled hundreds of miles to the clinics in central and southern Ohio where, for a cash payment of approximately $200 per office visit and with little or no physical examination, clinic customers would receive excessive amounts of “cocktails” of controlled substances including diazepam, hydrocodone, oxycodone and alprazalam.

The trial is expected to take about six weeks.

Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 252, or at flewis@civitasmedia.com. For breaking news, follow Frank on Twitter @FrankLewisPDT.