Orthopedist And Former Anesthesiologist Convicted Of Drug Conspiracy And Alien Smuggling Charges

Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that a federal jury yesterday found Fred Joseph Turner, M.D. (59, Sarasota) and Rosetta Valerie Cannata (60, Osprey) guilty of one count of conspiring to dispense controlled substances for no legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of medical practice, four counts of dispensing controlled substances, and one count of conspiring to smuggle an alien into the United States. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each of the controlled substance counts, and up to 10 years’ imprisonment on the alien smuggling charge. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Turner and Cannata were indicted on July 23, 2015.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, from March 2011 through July 2015, Turner, an orthopedist, and Cannata, a former anesthesiologist, operated Gulfshore Pain and Wellness Centre, a pain management clinic with offices in Tampa and Punta Gorda. Turner and Cannata rarely conducted physical or diagnostic examinations of their patients and ignored results of patient drug screens when they prescribed excessive amounts of opiates, including oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and morphine.

During the investigation, several law enforcement officers entered the clinic in undercover capacities as patients. On one occasion, Turner and Cannata asked the undercover agent to smuggle a Hungarian national into the United States. In return, Turner prescribed the agent an increased amount of oxycodone and hydromorphone, and Cannata paid him $5,000 in cash. To justify the increase in prescribed medication, Turner and Cannata instructed the agent to fabricate an injury and walked him through the process of falsifying his patient history.

This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carlton C. Gammons and Taylor G. Stout.