Ep 11. Deadly Rx For Greed

In American Greed season 2 episode 11, "Deadly Rx For Greed," viewers are taken through the story of Dr. Richard Batista and his wife Dawnell Batista. Richard Batista was an established urologist, and Dawnell Batista was his office manager. While the couple appeared to have a picture-perfect life, things started to unravel when Dawnell Batista discovered that her husband was cheating on her with one of his patients.

The discovery triggered a chain of events that eventually led to an ugly divorce between the two. Dawnell Batista asked for a significant amount of money in the divorce proceedings, but Richard Batista refused to pay up. He believed that he shouldn't have to part with his hard-earned fortune just because his wife found out about his affair.

But that wasn't the only issue that the couple had to deal with. The Batistas had also invested a considerable amount of money in a company that promised to revolutionize the medical industry. The company, which was focused on the development of a new drug, claimed that it had a breakthrough technology that could potentially cure diseases like cancer and HIV/AIDS.

The Batistas were so convinced by the company's claims that they invested almost $600,000 in it. They were promised significant returns on their investment once the drug hit the market. However, the company turned out to be a scam, and the drug never materialized.

The Batistas had lost a significant amount of money in the investment scam, and they were unable to recover their funds. Their financial woes only worsened when Richard Batista refused to pay the settlement amount to Dawnell Batista as part of their divorce proceedings.

Dawnell Batista was frustrated and had reached a breaking point. She decided to take matters into her own hands and hatched a plan to avenge herself and recover some of their lost funds. She took advantage of her position as Richard Batista's office manager and started to write prescriptions for fake patients.

Dawnell Batista used her knowledge of the medical industry to create fake medical records and prescriptions that she would then fill at a local pharmacy. She used the insurance payouts from the fake prescriptions to generate funds that she then used to live a lavish lifestyle. She bought expensive watches, jewelry, and clothes, among other things.

For months, no one suspected a thing. Dawnell Batista's scheme went undetected until Richard Batista noticed some discrepancies in his office records. He confronted his ex-wife, and she finally confessed to what she had been doing.

Dawnell Batista was arrested and charged with insurance fraud, forgery, and larceny. She was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. Her actions not only ruined her life but also caused significant damage to Richard Batista's career and reputation.

Throughout the episode, viewers are provided with insights into how greed can lead people down a path of destruction. The episode also highlights the dangers of investing in schemes that seem too good to be true. The Batistas were convinced that they had found the next big thing in the medical industry, but their trust was misplaced, and they paid the price for it.