2 Michigan doctors charged in $7M illegal opioid distribution conspiracy
By Joe Buczek
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Michigan (WWJ) — Four Michigan men, including two doctors and a medical clinic operator, have been charged in a $7 million illegal opioid distribution conspiracy, U.S. attorneys announced.
A federal indictment alleges that Dr. Shakeeb Chinoy, 55, of Bloomfield Hills; Dr. Sunil Manjila-Varghese, 53, of Ann Arbor; Rommel Harvey, 43, of Detroit; and Gregory Sparks, 42, of Detroit, conspired between November 2023 and June 2025 to issue thousands of opioid prescriptions for patients who did not have legitimate medical needs for the drugs.
The drugs involved in the alleged conspiracy include oxycodone, oxycodone-acetaminophen (Percocet), hydrocodone-acetaminophen (Norco), oxymorphone and promethazine with codeine. Manjila-Varghese and Chinoy are accused of prescribing more than 400,000 dosage units of Schedule II opioids.
The drugs have an estimated street value of more than $7 million. Medicare and Medicaid were also billed for more than $1 million for medically unnecessary prescription drugs and maintenance medications as part of the conspiracy, according to prosecutors.
“Doctors take an oath to do no harm and to care for others. These doctors and professionals broke that oath to fill their pockets and used their respected positions of trust to push addictive opioids. They are drug dealers in white coats,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr., in a statement.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
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