Posted on 1/4/2004, 10:26:31 AM by kattracks
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Rush Limbaugh was wrong when he accused prosecutors of singling him out, but not by much. Palm Beach County prosecutors investigating the right-wing radio host for his prescription drug abuse have filed "doctor shopping" charges against one other person in the past five years, according to records.Limbaugh's lawyer said the court documents, reviewed by The Palm Beach Post yesterday, prove his client was unfairly targeted.
"Rush Limbaugh has been singled out for special prosecution because of who he is," Roy Black told the paper. "We believe the state attorney's office is applying a double standard."
State Attorney Barry Krischer denied the accusation, saying, "Whether Mr. Limbaugh is subject to prosecution for any crimes is still under investigation."
Investigators seized Limbaugh's medical records in November after discovering he got more than 2,000 painkillers, prescribed by four doctors, at a pharmacy near his home. Limbaugh's former maid told investigators she supplied him with prescription painkillers for years.
Limbaugh's lawyers had argued the seizure of his records violated his privacy and that the probe was politically motivated.
The commentator, once a harsh critic of drug abusers, recently admitted his addiction, saying it stemmed from severe back pain. He took a five-week leave from his radio show to enter a detox program.
The Palm Beach Post review found only one case in which the county filed charges of illegally acquiring overlapping prescriptions, but the defendant died before trial.
Doctor shopping, a crime that can bring up to five years in prison, is conning more than one physician to write the same prescriptions within 30 days.
Originally published on January 4, 2004
This phrase is bordering on libel. It implies that charges HAVE been filed against Rush Limbaugh. That has not happened.
To properly report this, the phrase should read ". . . have filed "doctor shopping" charges against just one other person in the past five years . . .
Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom |
|
|
|
|
|
30.00 |
1 |
Thanks for donating to Free Republic!
Move your locale up the leaderboard!
I have thought from the beginning that it was a Witch-Hunt, pure and simple.
This phrase is bordering on libel. It implies that charges HAVE been filed against Rush Limbaugh. That has not happened.
To properly report this, the phrase should read ". . . have filed "doctor shopping" charges against just one other person in the past five years .
Brilliant, Swordmaker, absolutely brilliant!
...and we know, who the witch is....Sen. Mrs. William Jefferson Blight (Shrillary) Clinton ('RAT-NY)
Let's take a wild, wild guess--
Thanks to Bon mots-
Let's see..here. Now, they apparently don't have a strong enough case to bring criminal charges against Limbaugh, yet the "charges" they are considering indicting him on are already public???
Wouldn't that be a nice tool to intimidate your political enemies with, IF you were a politically minded prosecutor. Just release to the press "off the record" things like: "We're looking at Mr. Smith in the area of wife beating..", or "... record were seized at a children's day care related to the Mr. Smith investigation, though nothing is conclusive...", or "..confidential informants link Mr. Smith to a drug trafficing ring, and we're investigating.." Then just let the "non-charges" fester for a couple of years.
This is the definition of "prosecutorial misconduct" everywhere except, I suppose, Florida. If the DA's office had no charges to file, then there should be nothing in the press about Limbaugh. As far as seizing his medical records, usually there has to be "probably cause" to get a search warrant. The fact that he overmedicated himself is not necessarily probably cause of anything. I wonder what evidence they had .. HARD evidence, that Limbaugh evaded the law to get his drugs.
SFS
Lando
"We have not yet gathered enough evidence to charge Governor Dean with child molestation"... "We can neither confirm nor deny that Wesley Clark has been identified as the Olympic park bomber. If and when charges are filed, General Clark will have a chance to defend himself in court."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.