Broward Doc's Conviction Upheld In Pill Mill Case

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - A state appeals court has upheld the conviction of a Broward County doctor who was found guilty of racketeering and trafficking in oxycodone after an undercover investigation of a pill mill.

A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal rejected arguments that it should reverse the 2014 conviction of 57-year old Thomas Rodenberg.

The ruling said a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigation led to Rodenberg being convicted on charges of racketeering; conspiracy to commit racketeering; seven counts of trafficking in oxycodone; delivery of methadone, alprazolam, oxycodone, and hydrocodone; and conspiracy to traffic in oxycodone.

Rodenberg was arrested as part of a 2012 raid on Pompano Beach Medical Corp. Prosecutors said the facility helped lead to South Florida's reputation at the time as the pill-mill capital of the country.

In the appeal, Rodenberg's attorney contended that the trial judge erred by giving an incorrect jury instruction and that prosecutors made inappropriate remarks during closing arguments.

But Wednesday's six-page ruling, written by appeals-court Judge Spencer Levine turned down the arguments.

Rodenberg is an inmate at the state's DeSoto Annex and is scheduled for release in August 2031, according to the Florida Department of Corrections website.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.