A Martinsville doctor, Joel Smithers, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after being convicted of more than 450 drug-related charges. The sentencing took place in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.
Smithers, 42, originally from Texarkana, Texas, was found guilty of one count of maintaining a place for the illegal distribution of controlled substances and 466 counts related to illegally prescribing Schedule II drugs. These drugs included oxymorphone, oxycodone, hydromorphone, and fentanyl.
Smithers began his practice in Martinsville in August 2015. According to court records, he prescribed controlled substances to every patient at his office. More than 500,000 Schedule II pills were distributed during this period. Many patients traveled hundreds of miles for appointments with Smithers. He did not accept insurance payments and received over $700,000 through cash and credit card transactions before authorities executed a search warrant on March 7, 2017.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revoked Smithers’ registration number effective April 17, 2019.
After an initial conviction in 2019 on these charges, a new trial was ordered following changes by the United States Supreme Court regarding jury instructions for health care providers accused of illegally distributing controlled substances. The retrial occurred in December 2024.
At sentencing, the court determined that Smithers obstructed justice by committing perjury during his testimony and identified him as the leader of criminal activity between August 2015 and August 2017. The court also found that he abused his position of public trust and misused specialized skills when unlawfully distributing prescription drugs.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad offices in Roanoke and Bristol along with the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Local police departments from Bristol, Martinsville, Buena Vista, Roanoke city and county; sheriff’s offices from Henry County and Pittsylvania County; Virginia State Police; and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit from the Virginia Office of the Attorney General provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Randy Ramseyer and Corey Hall prosecuted the case along with Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen—a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section—on behalf of the United States.
