lurkette

http://www.msnbc.com/news/1001269.asp?vts=120420031544

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Dec. 4 — Investigators who raided the offices of Rush Limbaugh’s doctors said in search warrants filed Thursday that the conservative radio commentator engaged in illegal drug use and “doctor shopping” for prescription painkillers.
THE WARRANTS SHOW investigators were looking for records including prescription disbursements, appointment schedules, receipts and a medical questionnaire.
“Mr. Limbaugh’s actions violate the letter, and spirit” of the law that relates to “doctor shopping,” stated one of warrants, signed by Asim Brown, a law enforcement agent assigned to the state attorney’s office anti-money laundering task force. Doctor shopping refers to looking for a doctor willing to prescribe drugs illegally.
The warrants — which name four doctors and several prescription drugs — show investigators were looking for records including prescription disbursements, appointment schedules, receipts and a medical questionnaire when they raided the offices Nov. 25.
Limbaugh denied any wrongdoing to listeners on his radio show earlier Thursday and accused prosecutors in Palm Beach County of going on a “fishing expedition.”
Reading from a statement prepared by his attorney Roy Black, Limbaugh denied any wrongdoing and said the medical records will clear him.
“What these records show is that Mr. Limbaugh suffered extreme pain and had legitimate reasons for taking pain medication,” Limbaugh said. “Unfortunately, because of Mr. Limbaugh’s prominence and well-known political opinions, he is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure.”
State Attorney Barry Krischer said in a statement that Limbaugh’s rights have been “scrupulously protected.”
“Whether Mr. Limbaugh is subject to prosecution for any crimes is still under investigation. Mr. Limbaugh is presumed innocent,” Krischer said.

RECORDS SUPPORT ALLEGATIONS
The search warrants were filed at Palm Beach County Circuit Court. One was executed at Palm Beach Ear, Nose and Throat Association in Palm Beach Gardens, where investigators seized five months of records from a Palm Beach pharmacy that they say support the doctor-shopping allegations.
Two warrants were executed at the offices of Jupiter Outpatient Surgery Center. Information on the fourth warrant wasn’t immediately available.
The records seized include prescriptions for Norco, Niacin, OxyContin, Xanax, Lorcet and other medications. The physicians named in the warrants are Dr. Nathaniel Drourr, Dr. Antonio De La Cruz, Dr. Lawrence Deziel and Dr. John Murray.
Drourr and officials at both centers declined comment, citing privacy laws. Murray did not return a phone call seeking comment, and the other doctors could not be immediately reached.
Limbaugh was absent from his show for five weeks recently while spending time at a drug rehabilitation program because of his addiction to prescription painkillers.
Previously, law enforcement sources in Palm Beach County, where Limbaugh owns a $24 million oceanfront mansion, confirmed that a criminal investigation into a prescription drug ring involved Limbaugh. His former maid, Wilma Cline, reported supplying him with OxyContin and other painkillers.
Last month, a law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity said authorities also were investigating whether Limbaugh illegally funneled money to buy prescription painkillers. The radio host responded with a blanket denial of the allegations during his third day back on the air.

I can't believe they can just waltz in and sieze your medical records. I know it's relevant to the case, but still, this DOES seem like a huge violation of privacy. I'm not saying he shouldn't be prosecuted - it would be a huge double-standard to jail crackheads but let the rich white guy with a designer addiction off scot free. But isn't this, like most drug cases, a fairly victimless crime? Seems to me addicts suffer their own punishment.

What do you think? Are the files fair game? How do you strike a balance between privacy and justice? Is this a victimless crime?

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