Thaindian News

Kansas, Jun 16 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Dr. Stephen Schneider, who has been accused of causing the death of 68 patients has taken the witness stand in his trial. Dr. Schneider and his wife Linda have both been charged with health care fraud, money laundering and unlawful drug prescription.

The prosecutor told the court that it was money and not medicine that kept the Schneiders operating in their infamous way. He argued that the high number of patient mortality should have told the Schneiders, that there was something wrong with their treatments.

However the defense had challenged the autopsy reports that said drug overdose was to be blamed for their deaths. Schneider maintained that his patients lied about having pains and that got him prescribing the painkillers for them.

However the prosecutor argued that it was money that made Dr. Schneider prescribe drugs to patients who were brought in with drug overdose. The prosecution recounted that in 46 cases, Dr. Schneider prescribed the same drug that patients have overdosed. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Treadway, “If this clinic was a legitimate pain management practice … the defendants would have taken action in the face of these overdoses and deaths”.

The defense attorneys made their closing arguments on Tuesday.