Alabama 'pill mill' doctor who prescribed millions of narcotics pleads guilty in federal court

A former Huntsville doctor, who was the nation's highest Medicare prescriber of opioid painkillers pleaded guilty today in federal court to $9.5 million health care fraud and illegally writing prescriptions.

Shelinder Aggarwal, 48, previously reached an agreement with prosecutors to serve 15 years in prison, forfeit his former clinic and pay $6.7 million.

U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor accepted Aggarwal's guilty plea today, but reserved his decision on whether to accept the 180-month prison sentence until Aggarwal's sentencing hearing, according to U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance's Office. Vance is the U.S. Attorney for the northern district of Alabama.

"The agreement between Aggarwal and the government is a binding plea agreement, so either party may withdraw from it if the court does not accept the stipulated sentence," White's Office said in a news release. The announcement was made in conjunction with FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton.

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