Pill-Pushing Charges Added For West Philadelphia Abortion Doctor
By Tony Hanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The West Philadelphia abortion doctor charged with murder now faces additional charges that his Women's Medical Society was an illegal "pill mill."
It was the drug investigation that led authorities to the human carnage inside the West Philadelphia facility operated by Dr. Kermit Gosnell.
Gosnell, 70, and some former staff members are being charged with distributing nearly a million pills including frequently abused painkillers and sedatives, following cursory physical exams or none at all, for a price.
"Defendant Gosnell received over $200,000 in proceeds, as alleged in the indictment," said federal prosecutor Jessica Natali today.
A raid early last year found the deplorable conditions inside the clinic. Authorities say the search team found fetal remains stored haphazardly throughout -- in bags, in food containers, even in cat food containers.
Gosnell allegedly murdered babies born alive, and he is charged with killing an adult female patient who died from an overdose of anesthetics (see previous story). He has pleaded not guilty to these charges and is awaiting trial in state court.
His attorney says he has not yet seen the federal drug indictment, so he declined comment.
----------
