Dr. Barbara Marino, 65, was the sole prescribing physician at Angels Clinica, a cash-only clinic in a Spring Branch strip mall. Marino unlawfully prescribed more than 1 million pills of oxycodone and hydrocodone, both opioids, as well as carisoprodol, a muscle relaxer commonly known by the brand name Soma, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said drug dealers directed patients to Marino, who gave them prescriptions that were filled at Houston pharmacies. The drugs were later sold on the street.
In less than a year, Marino received more than $400,000 for prescriptions that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, prosecutors said.
Marino issued more than 11,500 prescriptions between September 2018 and September 2019. More than 5,900 of those prescriptions were for opioids and more than 5,200 were for carisoprodol, according to court records.
Evidence presented at trial showed Marino intentionally disregarded red flags and prescribed both carisoprodol and an opioid to nearly every patient she treated. Studies have found the combination of carisoprodol and an opioid can cause dangerous side effects, including the risk for an overdose.
Marino was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and four counts of distributing a controlled substance. She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count at her sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
Marino obtained her medical license in Texas in 1990. The Texas Medical Board suspended her license in 2020 following her arrest, medical board records show.