Man charged with doctor shopping back in jail
A Cape Coral man accused of doctor shopping is back in custody.
Michael Sean Molloy, 39, of 3050 S.W. 28th Ave., was rebooked Wednesday at the Lee County Jail. Officials said his bondsman surrendered his bond.
As of Tuesday, Molloy remained at the jail without bond.
He faces 18 counts of withholding information from a practitioner.
Molloy was originally arrested March 1 and released on $69,000 bond.
According to an arrest report, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received information that Molloy was possibly obtaining prescriptions from several physicians within the same 30-day periods for similar prescription drugs.
The controlled substances were Oxycodone, Roxicodone and Xanax.
The LCSO initiated an investigation and referenced Florida’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program database to obtain Molloy’s medical records.
The investigation found that he used five doctors from five clinics.
Molloy was allegedly a patient of a Cape private practice, along with A New Life Pain Management of Southwest Florida, the Physicians Wellness Center, the Hurricane Pain Clinic and Lee County Medical Solutions, all in Fort Myers.
All five clinics told authorities that Molloy did not report to them that he was visiting other physicians and obtaining prescriptions of like therapeutic use.
According to the report, Molley obtained 3,750 pills – an estimated street value of $73,050 – in excess from other doctors by concealing information.
He was taken into custody and charged.
Defense attorney Jim Ermacora is representing Molloy.
Ermacora called the charges against his client “unfortunate” on Tuesday.
He explained that Molloy once was a well-known local homebuilder, but that he “started having some problems.” He said Molloy is bipolar and partially blind.
“He keeps being prescribed pills,” Ermacora said, adding that “there’s no indication that he was selling the pills. We’re trying to get him some help.”
“I’m trying to get him into drug court,” he said.
Ermacora noted that Molloy has no previous felony record, except for a DUI in recent years. He did not think that the state could prove the new charges.
“He’s not a drug dealer or anything like that,” Ermacora said.
Assistant state attorney Cameron Siggs is handling the case.
Molloy has a court appearance scheduled for July 3.