Taylor doctor's attorney enters not guilty plea in 'pill-mill' case
TAYLOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - A doctor from Taylor stood in front of a judge on Tuesday after being suspected of prescribing painkillers to thousands of patients who did not need them.
Dr. Ram Garg appeared in the 23rd District Court in Taylor where his attorney, Anjali Prasad, entered a plea of not guilty. He is accused of running a pill mill at his clinic on Telegraph Road, which was raided by Taylor police in late September, uncovering a secret bedroom in the process.
In court, Garg's attorney asked for a personal bond and said he would like to see the court case through. He was released on a personal bond of $100,000.
The judge said Garg is not allowed to prescribe medication without a valid license and is barred from leaving the state of Michigan while the case proceeds.
According to the court, Garg was handed 35 different charges including:
- One count of conducting a criminal enterprise
- 14 counts of using a computer to commit a crime
- Five counts of falsifying medical records
- Eight counts of health care fraud
- Seven counts of prescription violations
The 78-year-old neurologist was arrested for allegedly overprescribing painkillers to thousands of people in Taylor in late September. His attorney said he had also surrendered his license the day he was arrested.
Taylor Police Detective Phil Wengrowski has been working on the case for four years. The doctor ranks second in Michigan for prescribing drugs like hydrocodone and ketamine.
"We received a tip on this several years ago when the doctor was actually cut off at a pharmacy near the Michigan-Ohio border for the volume of controlled substances that were being filled at that pharmacy," the detective said.
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Secret bedroom found in raided Taylor doctor's office, as 'pill mill' allegations mount
On Tuesday the 78-year-old neurologist was arrested for allegedly overprescribing painkillers to thousands of people at his clinic in Taylor.
According to police, people were traveling from across the Midwest to get their painkillers from the neurologist’s office. Investigators soon learned the doctor was also falsifying medical bills and records.
Garg is expected to be back in court Nov. 13 for his probable cause conference.
Watch the arraignment here: