The American Greed episode “Pain Killer Profits” features the story of twin brothers Chris and Jeff George who ran a string of pain pill clinics in South Florida. They were 27 years old when they opened the first clinic in 2007. They lacked medical training but there’s no law prohibiting them from opening such a business. They reportedly made $40 million selling OxyContin to drug addicts posing as patients with real pain. At the top of their game, they had six clinics called American Pain. According to the New York Post, American Pain prescribed almost 20 million pills over two years.
[Journalist John Temple wrote the 2015 book American Pain: How A Young Felon and His Ring of Doctors Unleashed America’s Deadliest Drug Epidemic]
In 2010, when American Pain patients started dying, the FBI raided the clinics. Chris George cooperated and was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. Jeff George pleaded guilty and got 15 years. American Greed airs new episodes on Thursdays at 10pm on CNBC.
