Cape Coral Man Indicted For Running Fraudulent, All-Virtual Pain Clinic That Dispensed More Than 100,000 Tablets Of Oxycodone

Fort Myers, Florida - United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Eric Strom Holland (55, Cape Coral) with four counts of wire fraud and six counts of distributing and dispensing controlled substances. If convicted, Holland faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies Holland that the United States intends to forfeit any property used in or proceeds traceable to the offense.

According to court documents, Holland recruited unwitting doctors for his unlicensed pain clinic using lies designed to induce them to work for him and to prescribe controlled substances, including oxycodone. These lies included that the pain clinic had a physical location (when in fact all operations during the pertinent periods were purely virtual), that patients were being physically examined by medical practitioners, such as nurse practitioners, before doctors were asked to prescribe, that there were long-term doctors with whom the patients had a standing relationship and that the temporary doctors were just refilling prescriptions as part of an established regimen of care, and that safeguards to prevent against drug abuse, such as urine screens, were being used. Numerous doctors stated that, had they known that the representations made by Holland about the operation of the clinic were false, they would not have prescribed for him. Holland also falsely told doctors that he would pay them for their work. In fact, Holland routinely failed to pay doctors and replaced them with new temporary doctors once they ceased working for him. As a result of Holland's actions, and in addition to other controlled substances, more than 900 prescriptions were issued for more than 100,000 tablets of oxycodone, with a street value of more than $4 million.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration's Miami Tactical Diversion Squad. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Winter.