Doc Could Lose License Over Drug Trafficking

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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/NSF) - A Palm Beach County doctor convicted on 55 counts of trafficking in oxycodone should lose his license to practice medicine in Florida, according to a ruling by an administrative law judge.

Judge F. Scott Boyd recommended that the Florida Board of Medicine enter a final order revoking the license of physician Barry M. Schultz.

A Palm Beach County jury in November convicted Schultz of trafficking in oxycodone, a powerful painkiller that was at the center of what became known as Florida's "pill mill" crisis.

Boyd's ruling said Schultz did not have representation during a hearing last month on the medical license. Citing testimony from an expert witness for the state, Boyd wrote that "the oxycodone prescribed by Dr. Schultz was not prescribed for legitimate medical purposes and was done other than within the course of professional practice."

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.