Ex-pain clinic owner sentenced to 20 years to appeal, lawyer says
MILWAUKEE - The attorney for a Wisconsin woman sentenced to 20 years in prison on accusations she illegally prescribed opioids out of her pain clinic plans to appeal on grounds that a federal judge made a mistake.
U.S. District Chief Judge Pamela Pepper handed down the mandatory minimum sentence Friday for Lisa Hofschulz, 61, of Wauwatosa, after a jury in August convicted her of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. The jury found Hofschulz, who was a licensed nurse practitioner, responsible for the death of one patient.
Beau Brindley, Hofschulz's attorney, told The Associated Press that Pepper failed to instruct the jury that a doctor's "subjective good faith is a complete defense against these charges." Brindley said a similar instruction was allowed in a case involving Dr. Charles Szyman, the operator of a Manitowoc pain clinic who was acquitted in 2017 of overprescribing narcotic medications.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Hofschulz and her ex-husband, Robert Hofschulz, owned and operated Clinical Pain Consultants in Wauwatosa. The indictment accused them of collecting more than $800,000 in 2015 and $1 million in 2016 by prescribing excessive dosages of opioids, particularly oxycodone and methadone, for no medical purpose.
Robert Hofschulz, who was the clinic's business manager, was sentenced on Friday to three years in prison. His attorney, Jonathan Smith, did not return an email message seeking comment.
Featured
Madison wreck: 3 killed, 1 hurt in 2-vehicle collision
Madison police say three people were killed and one was injured in a two-vehicle collision on the city's east side Tuesday.
Featured
2024 Republican National Convention: Milwaukee submits bid to host
Milwaukee officially bids to host the 2024 Republican National Convention. VISIT Milwaukee confirms to FOX6 it has submitted its bid.