Behind the Two Florida Brothers Who Flooded The U.S. With Opioids

Everyone in the U.S. knows about the opioid crisis and the alarming destruction that followed it. Pharmaceutical companies, like Purdue Pharma, played a significant role in contributing to this crisis. However, unlike the big corporate bodies, these seemingly regular Florida brothers ran one of the largest ‘pill mills’ ever in the United States. 

American Pain is a recent documentary by CNN that “traces the rise and fall of Floridians Chris and Jeff George, identical twins who trafficked more than $500 million in opioid pills in the United States.” 

Clients trusted that the American Pain clinic had it all: whether prescriptions or painkillers. Located in Boca Raton, Florida, crowds were hanging outside this clinic to wait their turn.

Chris and Jeff George opened four such clinics in various locations in South Florida. They collaborated with pharmaceutical firms and doctors to flood the nation with prescription opioids. 

The doctors who agreed to work with the George brothers were licensed physicians recruited via Craigslist ads. These doctors were “dedicated” to their jobs and had no issues writing hundreds (or even thousands) of prescriptions.

The American Pain Clinic tried to take as many precautions as possible to avoid unwarranted attention. So, they employed a hulking bouncer to stay at the door and ensure that no one snorted their pills in open spaces like the parking lot.

The American Pain documentary was directed by the Emmy-award-winning filmmaker Darren Foster. Foster based his story on undercover videos, wiretap recordings, and exclusive testimonies from the George brothers. The documentary showed the ruthless nature of the empire that had turned the Georges into multi-millionaires and many into drug addicts.

Kurt McKenzie’s team named the investigation ‘Operation Oxy Alley.’ The operation started when the clinic’s oxycodone appeared at various drug overdose scenes. Investigators bugged the clinic’s phones and sent undercover agents to act as patients and make drug purchases. They also recorded secret videos of the clinic.

The twin brothers’ clinics bloomed between 2008 and 2010 when the opioid crisis was at an all-time high. During this period, federal officials reported that businesses dealing with prescription painkillers were swimming in money. Many people started to realize the dangers the drugs posed to local communities.

McKenzie continued, “The George brothers created the blueprint” for the opioid business. How did the system function so effectively and secretly until the brothers were caught? Even with adverts for doctors with huge incentives appearing in the local newspapers.

Clients who needed the pain medications avoided booking appointments with the George brothers. Patients from Appalachian states like Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, etc., frequented this clinic. It was so accessible that someone noted: “It’s like a candy store down there.”

Like many other illegal business operators who stumbled on millions of dollars, Chris and Jeff George went on a spending spree. It was almost as if they were in a splurging competition with each other.

One of the twin’s long-time friends, Derik Nolan, who also called himself their right-hand man in the documentary, revealed a lot about the inner workings of the clinic. According to him, the brothers ran the clinics like frat houses.

One of the brothers’ clinics had a trailer behind a strip club where patients without MRIs were referred to. According to an FBI agent, this was the place they could enjoy lap dances as they waited for fake radiologists to carry out new scans.

The doctors in the clinic wanted to see as many patients as they could per day because they were paid on a “per-client” basis. According to court documents, they “did not obtain prior medical records or prescribe any alternative treatment. They did not make referrals to specialists. Virtually everyone examined by the co-conspirator physicians received a prescription for controlled substances.”

In the documentary, Chris George was shown bragging about the million-dollar profits that the clinics made (which court documents support). According to them, American Pain had prescribed 18 million oxycodone units and was one of the top 9 purchasers of opioids in the U.S.

McKenzie also noted that “These are real doctors. They have real licenses … and what looked to be a real clinic.” That was a thing of pride for Chris George, who said he loved that the clinic had such volume.

There was a man named John Friskey who had a computer service business operating in Florida’s Jacksonville. Friskey had a son, Andy, who had died because of his opioid addiction. Friskey remembers that his beloved son enjoyed listening to music and playing the guitar.

The nearby pain clinic was owned by Zachary Rose, one of the George brothers’ main competitors. Many drug users outside the state also flocked to Rose’s clinic to get the opioids. Friskey was dedicated to seeing that the clinic was off the strip mall, and luck was on his side.

Friskey walked into Rose’s establishment wired. This granted the DEA agents access to his conversations in real time as he worked on the computers. The agents could hear how the doctors bragged about their huge daily wages.

In August 2011, federal investigators swooped on the twin brothers in their home. As a result, everything came crumbling down as they obtained drugs, illegal weapons, and other items from the raid.

The Federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act of 1970 aims to fight organized crime in the country. This was the act that the twin brothers, their mum, and many others were charged with. 

One of the doctors who worked in the clinic was charged with first-degree murder. That’s because a man prescribed 210 pain pills overdosed on them. Jeff George was also slammed with a second-degree murder charge in the same case.

The George brothers’ mum, Haggerty, received a 30-month jail term that year after admitting guilt to one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud. Meanwhile, Chris George was given a 17-year prison term after entering a guilty plea to one count of racketeering conspiracy. He became free in September 2021 after serving 11 years of his jail term.

According to McKenzie, fatal overdoses linked to the twin brothers’ clinics reached about 3,000. This was an FBI estimate from their review of 300 patient files from the clinics. They then took note of the patients that had overdosed from the samples.

The brothers are now 42 years old and have left a legal legacy in the state. A “pill mill law” forbade pain clinics from selling opioids was passed in 2011. This law also set standards for medical examinations in Florida.

Nolan said: “They didn’t want to go after the big pharmacy. They didn’t want to go after big distributors. They just wanted us – we’re nobody. The money we made is peanuts compared to what big pharma made over the years.”

It doesn’t seem like Chris George is remorseful for his actions. Many years after he and his brother were busted for their crimes, he feels they weren’t responsible for the fatal overdoses.

In his attempt to exonerate himself from the deaths, Chris George says, “They said they were in pain to my doctors. They got an MRI showing they were in pain. My doctors gave them medication. What they did with that is out of my hands.”

Chris George is out on parole and spoke about plans for his future. He says he’s willing to venture into the real estate business with Nolan.

This story would be incomplete without highlighting the role that Purdue Pharma played in this case. Before 2015, Purdue Pharma was the major controller of the Oxycodone market. Unfortunately, the firm lost its patent and companies started making cheaper OxyContin versions.

Since the pain clinics had more than enough drugs to dispense to clients, they took advantage of the situation. They purchased large amounts of the drugs and made a huge profit by reselling them to other addicts on the streets.

The extent and severity of the damages the opioid crisis has caused in the U.S. are difficult to measure. Oxycodone, morphine, Hydrocodone, etc., can be very addictive. It’s the same for Fentanyl, Heroin, and other illegal drugs.

While legal actions were taken against the George brothers and their accomplices, it’s important to note that the big pharmaceutical companies involved in this crisis have still not been held criminally liable for their actions.

The United States still suffers immensely from the effects of the opioid crisis. The way forward is to look for solutions instead of remaining trapped in the guilt of the past. The question on many people’s lips is how to make individuals and companies more accountable for their actions.

The fact remains that the families of those affected by the twin brothers’ business will feel the impact for a long time. Fortunately, opioid use disorder has numerous treatment options they can explore.