FAIRMONT — As of Thursday afternoon, Fairmont police had identified three women as victims of what they allege was a doctor’s scheme to trade pain prescriptions for sex.
And one of those women alleged she was victimized starting in 2013, or about two years after Fairmont’s Three Rivers Drug Task Force had asked the office of U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II to pursue charges against Dr. Eugenio Menez. That’s according to Fairmont Police Lt. Douglas Yost and Chief Steve Shine.
Ihlenfeld’s office didn’t consider the evidence strong enough to seek a federal indictment, even though Fairmont police thought it was, Yost said.
The investigation wasn’t dead, but it was stalled.
But about a month ago, the woman who alleged she’d been victimized starting in 2013 came forward. That, Shine said, re-energized the investigation.
Ihlenfeld’s public information officer, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Tighe, offered a brief response to an Exponent Telegram inquiry.
“We can’t offer a comment regarding whether we have looked into this particular matter,” Tighe wrote in an email. “However, we do regularly communicate with county prosecutor’s offices throughout the district about cases where there is concurrent jurisdiction.”
Menez was at his home on Woodcliff Drive in an upscale Fairmont development early Thursday afternoon when law enforcement swarmed the residence and took him into custody. At the same time, agents raided Menez’s medical practice a few minutes away on U.S. 19 in Fairmont.
In addition to Fairmont police and members of the Three Rivers Drug Task Force, also participating in the raids were members of the Greater Harrison Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the IRS.
Menez, a 65-year-old doctor of internal medicine, was warned of his Miranda rights to remain silent and to have an attorney present before giving a statement to law enforcement, Yost said.
Menez said he had sex with multiple patients, and that they also received prescriptions from him for oxycodone and fentanyl, according to Yost.
But Menez added that it all was coincidental, according to Yost.
The doctor was taken from his home to the police station for processing. Later in the afternoon, Menez was transported to Marion County Magistrate Court by Detective E.P. Hudson. There, Magistrate Hank Middlemas set bond at $60,000, cash or surety, on the 15 counts of delivery of Schedule II narcotics. Wrongdoing on the 15 charges is alleged to have occurred throughout 2015.
If convicted, Menez could face 1-15 years, and a fine of up to $25,000, on each count, the magistrate explained.
Middlemas also set a condition that Menez is to have no contact with the alleged victims, direct or indirect, while free on bail.
Because he surrendered his Drug Enforcement Administration registration Thursday, Menez won’t be able to have any contact with patients in the position of trust held by a doctor, Shine and Yost noted.
“We’ve taken an (alleged) sexual predator off the streets,” Shine said.
He added that the investigation is continuing, although there’s no evidence that anyone else was involved as a suspect.
Officers seized materials from both Menez’s home and business, and some of those help corroborate the allegations of the three victims, Yost said.
Yost also said he suspects there could be more victims, and he asked those who believe Menez had inappropriate contact with them to call Fairmont police at (304) 366-0528.
The case now comes under the control of Marion County Prosecutor Jeff Freeman, but he’s no stranger to it.
Freeman was consulted prior to Thursday’s action and assisted police in taking the legal steps required before conducting a raid.
He considered it serious allegations warranting action.
“The allegations were that he may have been trading the writing of prescriptions for sexual favors,” Freeman said.
Shine talked to The Exponent Telegram after the bond hearing had been held.
“This many confirmed cases, and evaluating the evidence, we’ll probably have more charges filed ... and with the DEA, IRS, (State Police) and drug task forces (investigating), along with his position of trust, we anticipated his bond to be more than $4,000 an incident,” Shine said.
You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
Post a comment as Anonymous Commenter
Report
Watch this discussion.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.