Evergreen Reporter

Joel Smithers, a doctor from Martinsville, Virginia, has been convicted on 467 federal counts related to drug distribution. The verdict was delivered after a three-week jury trial in the U.S. District Court in Abingdon. Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee announced the conviction.

Smithers, aged 42, was found guilty of one count of maintaining a place for the illegal distribution of controlled substances and 466 counts of illegally prescribing Schedule II controlled substances. "Patients trust doctors to make decisions based on their healthcare needs, not a perversion of their own greed," said Lee. He added that Smithers betrayed his patients' trust by distributing unnecessary opioids.

Shane Todd, DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge, highlighted the role physicians play in addressing the opioid crisis and emphasized Smithers's criminal negligence. "Today’s conviction demonstrates Smithers’s criminal indifference to the lives of others," Todd stated.

Attorney General Jason Miyares condemned Smithers's actions as violating medical ethics for profit. "Joel Smithers did not seek to treat patients but rather sought to destroy lives for profit," Miyares commented.

During the trial, evidence showed that Smithers opened an office in Martinsville in August 2015 and prescribed controlled substances extensively. Over 500,000 Schedule II drugs were distributed under his practice without insurance payments accepted, generating over $700,000 before a search warrant was executed at his office in March 2017.

Smithers had previously been convicted on these charges in 2019 but was granted a new trial following changes by the United States Supreme Court regarding jury instructions in such cases.

He remains in custody since his initial conviction with sentencing set for March 3, 2025. Each distribution count carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment and fines reaching $1 million.

The investigation involved several agencies including the DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad and various local police departments across Virginia. The prosecution team included Assistant United States Attorneys Randy Ramseyer and Corey Hall along with Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen.