JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A federal jury has found 58-year-old Scott Andrew Hollington, a prominent addiction medicine doctor in St. Augustine, guilty of 14 counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose and 5 counts of obstructing justice.
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The announcement was made by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg, who revealed that Hollington could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each drug trafficking offense and up to 10 years for the obstruction charges. The sentencing hearing is yet to be scheduled, following Hollington’s indictment in a superseding indictment on March 23, 2023.
The case against Hollington was built on extensive evidence and testimonies presented during the trial. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating Hollington after receiving a tip from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office (SJCSO) regarding his alleged practice of exchanging narcotic prescriptions for sexual favors.
Subsequently, the DEA deployed five undercover agents to Hollington’s addiction clinic between February 2022 and July 2022. Their mission was to gather evidence of Hollington’s illegal prescribing practices by obtaining prescriptions without any genuine medical need.
Throughout the undercover operation, the agents were able to secure a total of 17 prescriptions for schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances, including amphetamines (Adderall), benzodiazepines (Valium and Xanax), and buprenorphine (Suboxone).
The prescriptions were issued without proper medical justification, and vital medical procedures such as physical examinations and documentation were often neglected during medical encounters with the undercover agents.
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The evidence presented during the trial indicated that Hollington actively sought information about the agents’ drug preferences, offered prescriptions without legitimate medical justification, and even admitted to disregarding urine drug screening results. Furthermore, it was revealed that after his indictment, Hollington tampered with the medical notes in the undercover agents’ files, leading to the obstruction convictions.
During the trial, testimonies were heard from three female victims who bravely shared their experiences with Hollington. They disclosed that he had either exchanged, coerced, or solicited sexual favors in exchange for prescriptions. One of the victims described him as a “monster” who exploited her vulnerability while she sought help for addiction.
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