An ex-doctor from Alabama is facing 20 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to his part in a sprawling, sordid drug ring, court documents disclose - but his sentencing has since been delayed after he was diagnosed with cancer.
Two years ago, feds busted Marshall Plotka, 67, after fingering the former physician as part of an elaborate network of 60 medical professionals running illegal 'pill mills,' clinics or doctor's office that illicitly shill pain medications and other drugs.
He had been due to be sentenced this month, but on November 24 the hearing was delayed until next April after Plokta was diagnosed with cancer. Further details on what type of cancer he is suffering, and what stage it is at, have not been disclosed.
At the time of the arrest, agents alleged that Plotka transformed his mansion, located in a ritzy gated community in Huntsville, into a syringe-strewn den of debauchery where he would regularly house and have sex with prostitutes, and ply them with controlled substances - which included crystal meth.
Marshall Plotka, 67, was busted by feds in 2019 for his part in what agents called the largest prescription opioid takedown in US history. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises. He will be sentenced in April of next year
Court documents further reveal that the then-doctor kept a trove of drugs stored at the home in an otherwise quiet cul-de-sac, and permitted the prostitutes, along with their friends and family, to stay at the domicile over the course of several years.
Upon searching Plotka's home in March 2019, federal agents also uncovered a trove of drug paraphernalia, including several used syringes.
At the time, federal prosecutors called the raid the largest prescription opioid takedown in US history, as it spanned five states - Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Alabama - and caught eight Alabamians - including Plotka - in its snare.
Feds say that Plotka transformed this mansion, located in a ritzy gated community in Huntsville, into a syringe-strewn den of debauchery where he would regularly house and have sex with prostitutes, and ply them with controlled substances - which included crystal meth
Huntsville police were called to the physician's home, pictured here, on 35 separate occasions, spurred by complaints from Plotka's neighbors. Two of the incidents involved overdose
With that said, the charges against Plotka, who received his doctorate from the esteemed Duke University and calls himself a retired 'chronic pain management physician' and 'addiction physician' on social media, stood out over the dozens of other docs named in the sprawling sting, due to the details surrounding his case.
While others were arrested on charges like healthcare fraud and overprescribing, Plotka was cited by federal agents for enlisting these prostitutes as patients, possession of heroin, overdoses on his posh property, and thievery.
Plotka, who received his doctorate from the esteemed Duke University and calls himself a retired 'chronic pain management physician' and 'addiction physician' on social media, retired in the wake of the scandal
Plotka, who has since retired and saw his Huntsville practice shuttered after being named in the damning ring, pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises earlier this year.
The April 2019 indictment further stated that Plotka paid the women to have sex with him, and regularly supplied them with drugs - some of which he reportedly obtained from his practice - which they would in turn use at his residence.
What's more, the complaint revealed that Plotka recruited the prostitutes and other young women he had sexual relations with to become patients at his practice.
The indictment also alleges that Huntsville police were called to the physician's home on 35 separate occasions since October 2015, spurred by complaints from Plotka's neighbors.
Two of the incidents, in February and May 2018, respectively, involved drug overdoses, the filing revealed.
A 2019 federal filing revealed that Plotka recruited the prostitutes and other young women he had sexual relations with to become patients at his Huntsville practice
Per the federal document, Plotka admitted to police after his arrest that he knew people were using drugs in the home.
After the plea, administered in Alabama federal court in June, Plotka's sentencing was set for September of this year - but the scheduled hearing never materialized.
A recent federal filing reveals why this was the case - the discredited doctor was diagnosed with cancer.
According the Friday filing, the doc's diagnosis came in the buildup to the planned September sentencing, forcing prosecutors to push back the date.
The hearing will instead be held on April 14 of next year - with Plotka facing up to 20 years for the singular drug charge.
Post a Comment