Christopher Russo, MD, 50, of Birmingham, Michigan was charged Dec. 6 along with his 5 colleagues with one count health care fraud conspiracy and one count conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He was also charged with five counts of aiding and abetting health care fraud for five claims between April. 2017 and March, 2018 and one count of aiding and abetting the unlawful distribution of controlled substances for 90 doses of hydrocodone-acetaminophen.

Now The Pain Center in Warren was a clinic that specialized in joint and spinal injury. And the description of Dr. Russo on the clinic’s website states:

A 1994 graduate of the University of Michigan Medical school, following residency Dr. Russo completed a 2-year Pain Medicine Fellowship followed by Post-Fellowship training in Advanced Interventional Pain Techniques. He has special interest in spinal cord and occipital nerve stimulation, trigeminal nerve disorders, vertebral compression fractures, radiofrequency ablation and chemical dependency

So injections are a basic part of the care of patients that Dr. Russo treats. Because conventional medicine doesn’t get to the cause of pain, the steroid injection into a joint is routine care. So it is laughable that the government charged Dr. Russo with fraud for a $25 steroid injection, for example. They are really reaching the bottom of the barrel here.  And using the Controlled Substance Act for 90 doses of Lortab? Unbelievable! The only reason for doing this is to allow the forfeiture that was supposed to be used against drug cartels, but as they were totally inept at that, the DEA turned the law illegally against doctors. (Get my ebook on the subject.)

This post on Dr. Russo is the last on the 6 doctors in this clinic. So everything has already been said multiple times. But in case you missed it, you can get the full flavor of the outrageous misconduct of the government by going to these other posts.

• Rajendra Bothra, MD   Has a comment about Dr. Russo.
• Ronald P. Kufner, MD   
• Eric Backos, MD   
• Ganiu Edu, MD  
• David Lewis, MD  

So I would like to take the opportunity here to state my personal opinion about what needs to be done to stop these outrageous attacks.  US Attorney Matthew Schneider’s statement would be more realistic if he said “Government officials who prey on caring doctors in order to line their pockets is particularly egregious.”

What is especially egregious is the fact that the government can lie, spread propaganda, spout numbers that—just by the amount—prejudice the jury pool, make exaggerated statements that alter the real facts, raid offices without just cause, violate our 4th, 5th, and 14th amendment rights, destroy our lives, our profession, our ability to make a living, and not spend the rest of THEIR lives in prison.

Defendants can’t make statements to the press. They have no money (since it’s all been frozen) to hire an attorney. They basically look at court with their hands tied behind their back. Because the government no longer works with justice as the basis for their work, but conviction at all costs, we, the people must do something to drain the DOJ swamp.

1. Immunity needs to be removed from DOJ employees. If they do not follow the rule of law, they should be charged with government misconduct and be tried. If convicted, THEY should spend time in prison.
2. The government should not be allowed to publish a lying press release that tampers with the jury pool by the canned statements they make against the physicians, painting them as drug pushers. 
3. The defendant should have first rights to any witnesses. I know that in my trial all of my employees were classified as government witnesses. My nurse was interrogated for 6 hours, told that if she didn’t say the lies on the witness stand that they told her to say, she would be charged and go to prison. Even though she refused to cooperate, she was still the government’s witness. On the witness stand they just asked her what she did in the office, and let her go—just to prevent her from being a defense witness and keep me from talking with her.

So if you want these kinds of outrageous attacks to stop, join DoctorsofCourage. Communicate with your legislator about how the law is being misused to attack doctors. We will be starting a communication campaign with the new Congress. For template letters, ability to have me (Dr. Cheek) represent you in Washington with a meeting with your legislators’ health staff, and other important information, support us with your membership.

Addendum:

Dr. Russo was acquitted along with 3 of his colleagues, in June, 2022

To end these attacks, restore pain management, and provide compensation to all the families that have been destroyed by government overreach, we must get the Controlled Substance Act repealed.  Join Doctorsofcourage to get that done. Learn what we teach and spread the word.  NO DRUG CAUSES ADDICTION!! Let’s end the War on Drugs, Doctors and Pain Patients, end the black market, solve the southern border crisis, and restore proper pain management.  It CAN be done! 

Addendum:

I have failed in my mission to end these attacks on doctors and pain patients. Through John Bevere’s book The Bait of Satan, I have figured out why—my lack of forgiveness to those who attacked me. As in Mark 11: 24-26:

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespassed. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

And when you do not do the will of the Father, you are estranged from him and he will ignore you.  So we all must forgive the agents who attacked us in order for things to be made right through any of our works.

Jesus said

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

But we cannot lay down our lives for God unless we know Him well enough to trust Him. We must have the assurance that He would never do anything to harm us. He always looks out for what He knows is in our best interest. As a nation, those of us suffering from these attacks must understand that we are serving as God’s messengers of love.  We must forgive those who persecute us and love them instead, following God’s will for us. Then and only then will we see fruits from our labor.

So I hope that everyone who has suffered from what happened to Dr. Russo can trust the Lord, forgive those who have hurt you, and help bring this country back to the God-fearing country that our forefathers founded. Then, and only then, can you be a part of the effort to stop these attacks. I look forward to that day.