Ep 2. Deadly Opioids, Dirty Doctors

American Greed is a true crime documentary series that investigates cases of white-collar crime, ranging from Ponzi schemes to embezzlement. Season 12 episode 2 is titled "Deadly Opioids, Dirty Doctors" and it is a chilling account of how a group of people exploited the opioid epidemic to enrich themselves – and how their actions caused incredible harm to countless people.

As the episode opens, viewers are introduced to a man named Chris George, who was the CEO of a pain management clinic in South Florida. George is depicted as a smooth-talking charmer who made millions of dollars by prescribing prescription painkillers to his patients. He claims that he was simply doing his job and helping his patients manage their pain, but it soon becomes clear that he was actually profiting from the misery of others.

The episode then delves into the opioid epidemic itself, explaining how the widespread availability of prescription painkillers created a massive addiction crisis in the United States. The show describes how many people who took prescription opioids eventually turned to illegal drugs like heroin when their prescriptions ran out. The consequences have been devastating, with tens of thousands of people dying every year from opioid overdoses.

The show then introduces viewers to a man named Dana William Brooke, who was one of Chris George's patients. Brooke tells his story of how George prescribed him increasingly high doses of painkillers over the years, until he became hopelessly addicted. Brooke eventually began forging prescriptions and buying drugs on the black market.

The next part of the episode focuses on another player in this story, a man named Christopher Rubeck. Rubeck was a pharmaceutical sales representative who worked for a company that produced a highly addictive opioid drug called OxyContin. The show explains how companies like Purdue Pharma, which produced OxyContin, marketed their drugs aggressively to doctors, creating a massive demand that fueled the opioid crisis.

The episode then shifts its focus to a group of doctors who were working with Chris George. These doctors were allegedly prescribing painkillers to patients without conducting proper medical evaluations, and they were also accused of taking bribes in exchange for writing prescriptions. The show names several of these doctors, including Drs. Cynthia Cadet and Michael D. Ligotti.

As the episode progresses, viewers learn more about the investigation into George and his associates. The show explains how law enforcement officials were able to gather evidence against them, including wiretaps and surveillance footage. The show also interviews several of George's former employees, who describe a workplace culture that prioritized profit over patient care.

The episode concludes with an update on what happened to the people involved in this story. Chris George was eventually caught and sentenced to over 17 years in prison, while several of the doctors who worked with him also faced criminal charges. Dana Brooke was able to get clean and turn his life around, but he knows that many others were not as fortunate.

Overall, "Deadly Opioids, Dirty Doctors" is a sobering look at the devastating consequences of the opioid epidemic. The episode shows how a group of people were able to exploit a crisis for their own financial gain, and it makes it clear that the opioid epidemic is still a major problem in the United States today. This episode is a must-watch for anyone who is concerned about the opioid epidemic and wants to learn more about how it came to be.