Former Brookfield Doctor Gets Prison After Distributing Opiates: DOJ

BROOKFIELD, WI — A former pediatrician from Brookfield was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Oct. 27 after he distributed controlled substances such as opiates without a legitimate medical reason, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

Prosecutors asked for the prison term for 49-year-old Dr. Manuel Thomas based on a few factors, including evidence that he gave opiates to people who already had an addiction in exchange for cash and other pills, a news release from the Department of Justice said.

Thomas pleaded guilty to two charges: conspiring to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and to maintaining a premises for the purpose of unlawfully distributing controlled substances, according to the DOJ.

“Medical professionals who prescribe controlled substances not for a medical purpose but instead to line their own pockets violate both their oaths to do no harm and also federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad in a news release. “The United States Attorney’s Office remains committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to hold those doctors who are fueling the opioid crisis accountable for their actions.”

After Thomas is released from prison he can expect three years on federal supervised release, according to prosecutors.