All the East Tennessee health care professionals charged in the opioid crackdown

Thirty-two Tennessee medical professionals were indicted for federal crimes this week as part of a massive investigation into opioids and overprescribing.

Below is every defendant in East Tennessee (and the rest of the state) who has been charged, according to announcements from the Department of Justice. All of these defendants are suspects and none have been convicted at this time.

Many of these medical professionals were arrested on Wednesday morning.

East Tennessee – 7 defendants

• Dr. Charles Brooks, 61, of Maryville, Tennessee, charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute Schedule III, IV and V drugs as well as one count of healthcare fraud for aiding and abetting a false statement related to health care matters. READ MORE ABOUT THIS CASE
• Dr. Stephen Mynatt, 64, of Knoxville, and Dr. David Newman, 58, of Maryville, are charged with conspiracy to distribute Schedule II controlled drugs.  Mynatt was also charged with two counts of distribution of Schedule II drugs. Both Mynatt and Newman were affiliated with Tennessee Valley Pain Specialists.
• Four medical professionals associated with LaFollette Wellness Center were indicted. They are: Dr. Henry Babenco, 58, of Paducah, Kentucky; Sharon Naylor, 53, of Jacksboro; Alicia Taylor, 29, of Oneida and Gregory Madron, 54, of Jacksboro. All are charged with conspiracy to distribute Schedule II controlled drugs.  Naylor and Babenco were also charged with money laundering. 

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Middle Tennessee – 10 defendants

• Dr. Darrell R. Rinehart, 63, of Indianapolis, Indiana, formerly of Columbia, Tennessee, was indicted on 19 counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. 
• Dr. Bowdoin G. Smith, 64, of Carthage, Tennessee, was indicted on two counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, in January and February of this year.
• Dr. Lawrence J. Valdez, 50, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, was indicted on 18 counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, between June 2016 and March 2017.
• Dr. Timothy Abbott, 62, of Nashville, a Podiatrist, was indicted on seven counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, between January 2015 and January 2019.
• Heather Marks, 36, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a nurse practitioner, was indicted on four counts of prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, between December 2016 and February 2018.
• Three Pain MD nurse practitioners – Brian Richey, 37, of Cookeville; Daniel Seeley, 58, of Batesville, Mississippi; and Jonathan White, 49, of Tullahoma, were indicted on three counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. 
• John Polston, 58, of Tompkinsville, Kentucky, who was in charge of Dale Hollow Pharmacy in Celina, Tennessee, was indicted on 21 counts of dispensing Schedule II and Schedule IV controlled substances, outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, between April 27, 2017 and December 6, 2017.
• Dr. Harrison Yang, 75, of Manchester, has been charged with health care fraud violations.

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West Tennessee – 15 defendants

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• Fifteen defendants, including eight doctors, have been indicted in the Western District of Tennessee. However, authorities have only identified 11 of those defendants as of Wednesday afternoon. 
• Jeffrey Young, a nurse practitioner in Memphis, has been accused of prescribing opioids and other addictive medications without justification, and sometimes receiving sexual favors as payment. 
• Indicted alongside Young were Dr. Alexander Alperovich and Dr. Andrew Rudin, according to federal court records. All three suspects are charged with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances and other drug related charges.
• Dr. Charles Alston and nurse practitioner Britney Petway, both of the Superior Health and Wellness Clinic in Jackson, were charged with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances.
• Dr. Thomas Ballard III, another Jackson medical professional, was charged with multiple counts of unlawful drug distribution and distributing a controlled substance resulting in death or serious bodily injury. 
• Dr. Jay Shires, Dr. Loran Karlosky and nurse practitioner Mary Ann Board, all of the Downtown Medical Clinic in Bells, have been charged with multiple counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy.
• Pharmacist Glenn Bonifield Jr. and pharmacy technician Michelle Bonifield, both of whom worked at the Mehr Drug Store in Bells, have been charged with multiple counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy.