A nurse, her former husband, and seven others are accused of using a stolen prescription pad to get pain pills, then selling them.
According to the TBI, Stephanie Ann McMahan, 34, of Sevierville, stole a prescription pad when she worked at Covenant Health in August of 2010. Then, investigators said her husband at the time, Sammy Russell, 39, of Knoxville, forged prescriptions and recruited others to fill the prescriptions at pharmacies. The drugs were sold in Jefferson and Sevier Counties.
As payment for helping in the scheme, Russell gave the other suspects a portion of the pills from the filled prescriptions.
In September of 2013, a grand jury indicted the suspects on multiple charges:
Sammy Russell: 15 counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of conspiracy to sell or deliver and 15 counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud.
Stephanie McMahan: one count of conspiracy to sell and/or deliver
Bradley Justin Taylor, 30, of Dandridge: three counts of conspiracy to sell and/or deliver, three counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, and three counts of obtaining for purpose of the sale or delivery
Nathan Andrew Raney, 38, of Sevierville: one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver, one count of conspiracy to sell and/or deliver, one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud
Mark Kenneth Whitley, 34, of Dandridge: 12 counts of possession of a controlled substance, 1 count of conspiracy to sell and/or deliver, 12 counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud
Eric Vinson Sobol, 36, of Sevierville: five counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of conspiracy to sell and/or deliver, five counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud
Christopher Daily, 30, of Sevierville: three counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of conspiracy to sell and/or deliver, three counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud
Steven Charles Smith, 27, of Sevierville: one count of possession of a controlled substance, one count of conspiracy to sell and/or deliver, one count of obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud
Tommy Matthew Tadlock, 27, of Sevierville: five counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of conspiracy to sell and/or deliver, five counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud, five counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud
The investigation was conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 4th Judicial District Attorney General, the Sevierville Police Department, Sevier County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, Dandridge Police Department and 4th Judicial District Drug Task Force.
