Schneider Trial Aftermath

My, my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way" - (Lyrics to Abba song)

Siobhan Reynolds of the Pain Relief Network, wife of a Wichita journalist covering the Schneider trial, erected a highway sign near the courtroom prior to the trial reading "Dr. Schneider never killed anyone." As it turned out, the doctor and his wife, a nurse, were convicted in a long list of deaths.

(WICHITA, Kansas) - I had planned on writing an article on the sentencing of Dr. Stephen Schneider and his wife in the fall, but some interesting events occurred recently that caused me to change my mind.

For starters, federal prosecutors told a federal judge last week that Stephen and Linda Schneider should be made to forfeit more than $4.2 million in assets to help pay for their crimes. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annette Gurney and Tanya Treadway filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Monti Belot to award the government money the Schneiders illegally obtained.

The doctor and his wife, a nurse, were convicted in June of illegally prescribing drugs, resulting in patient deaths -- as well as health care fraud and money laundering. The prosecutors are going after the Schneiders assets through proceeds from the sale of their medical clinic earlier this summer, as well as personal property and bank accounts.

In Week 7 of the Schneider trial, I wrote about a cardiac pathologist testifying on behalf of Dr. Schneider, who criticized the Sedgwick County Regional Forensics Center. Steven Karch, MD, a renowned addiction specialist, told jurors that it was impossible to determine the cause of death for several patients at Schneiders' clinic. His reason: the Sedgwick County coroner did not typically do "microscopic heart tissue examinations" when a toxicology report came back positive for drugs. Karch testified that in 19 of the 21 deaths, the patients had severe cardiac issues. In one case, no autopsy was done and in another, the person died of a methamphetamine overdose.

Dr. Karch is also known for conducting research in the early part of 2000 on the death of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon died at the age of 52 in 1821. "The arsenic wasn't killing him - his doctors did him in", Karch was quoted as saying. It is interesting that doctors would be blamed from evidence of a death going back to 1821 -- and based on "looking at modern cases." I wondered why the microscopic heart tissue examinations were not an important factor in Dr. Karch's medical conclusion when he blamed the doctors for Napoleon's death: Schneider Trial Week 7

This past week, U.S. District Judge Monti Belot, who presided over the Schneider trial, reviewed the "expert testimony" of Dr. Karch. In denying the Schneiders' motion for a new trial, Judge Belot wrote the following statement about Karch, the author of a widely recognized book on drug pathology.

"The jury was free to conclude that Karch was merely ‘an expert in his own mind,’ a charlatan pure and simple. This court has grown accustomed to, if not accepting of, professional witnesses. Karch, who charged much but prepared little for his testimony, is a prime example of the witness who, if nothing else, knows how to 'dance with the one who brung ya'."

Looks as though Dr. Karch may be "dancing to Abba's Waterloo" as an expert in Napoleon's death since a charlatan addiction expert may not be in demand in a courtroom.

During the trial, a reporter covering the courtroom drama wrote for a local Wichita newspaper. A website named "Stinky Journalism.org did extensive research on a conflict of interest issue. The reporter's wife is an attorney in the law firm defending the Schneider's Medical Clinic against some of their alleged victims. The below posting on the Stinky Journalism.org website goes into detail on the alleged conflict of interest uncovered by them.

Special Report, Part 2:

Since 2005, Ron Sylvester has led The Wichita Eagle's coverage of the civil cases and criminal case of “pill mill” doctor Stephen Schneider, and his nurse wife, Linda Schneider. Yet, as StinkyJournalism has been reporting, Sylvester has an undisclosed conflict of interest: In none of his 80 reports on the couple and their clinic, who have been charged with links to 68 deaths, does Sylvester disclose that his wife’s law firm represents the Schneiders' clinic in at least 23 related civil suits. The Schneiders were recently found guilty of most of the 34 counts in the federal criminal case and will soon be sentenced. Part 2 of our report explores the depth of The Wichita Eagle reporter's continuing conflict of interest. See Part 1 of our special report here.

Wichita Eagle Court Reporter Doesn't Disclose His Wife's Firm Represents 'Pill Mill' Defendants - stinkyjournalism.org

Siobhan Reynolds of the Pain Relief Network

Siobhan Reynolds, President of Pain Relief Network (PRN), and an advocate and supporter of the convicted Schneiders - linked to 68 overdose deaths - is a target of a federal investigation relating to possible conspiracy to obstruct justice for her involvement in the Schneider case. Reynolds, when faced with a contempt charge and costs of some $36,000 in fines as well as potential jail time, provided the U.S. Attorney's office with thousands of pages of subpoenaed documents before the pill mill doctor trial.

Reynolds was quoted as saying "I am being beaten up in the dark by the government. They have taken everything I have. They have coerced me into violating all kinds of oaths I had held firm. But when push came to shove at the very end here, I decided I would be more valuable to the Schneiders and this country out than in."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Treadway declined to discuss the grand jury investigation against Reynolds. In court documents, the government had portrayed Reynolds as having a "sycophantic or parasitic relationship" with the couple and claimed she is using the Schneiders to further Pain Relief Network's political agenda and her personal interests.

In 2007 when the Schneiders were arrested, Reynolds organized demonstrations and petitions in an effort to keep the Schneider's medical clinic open. In addition, she lined up attorneys and expert witnesses, as in the expertise of Dr. Karch, to assist in the defense of the Schneiders.

Reynolds erected a highway sign near the courtroom prior to the trial reading "Dr. Schneider never killed anyone." She was quoted as saying "I put the billboard up to try to reawaken Wichita to the possibility that Dr. Schneider was entirely innocent — and I really thought it was within my First Amendment rights to do that."

Prosecutors alleged in a 2008 court document, that after the Schneider clinic was closed, Reynolds told a distraught pain patient that, 'if she was going to commit suicide because painkillers were no longer available -- to "make it count" by doing it publicly.

"PRN worked so hard, spent so much money to prevent that kind of thing," Reynolds said.

"Might I have said in a dark moment something like "make it count" -- I think I did, but the truth of the matter is I love people very much and I have spent every dime I ever had in my entire life to fight for their cause."

She sees herself as a "theater director" — drawing upon her personal loss and her education in film to tell the story of chronic pain patients.

Larry Wall, an attorney in Wichita, who represents the families of several dead Schneider patients, said Reynolds has diverted attention from the true victims: "She has tried to concoct a phony excuse for a pill mill doctor and his actions."

I'm wondering if Reynolds has "spent every dime" to fight her cause -- since she attended the Schneider eight week trial on a regular basis. Expenses had to be prohibitive -- unless the bank of pharmaceutical companies paid her expenses.

CBS crime drama show 48 Hours has a posting for the Schneider trial on their website. Doesn't surprise me since Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin has ties to CBS. (see: cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20008813-504083.html

Theater director? Sycophantic or parasitic relationship? For anyone curious as to the definition of a sycophant - they are self-serving servile flatterers and are often slavishly submissive to the narcissist. The narcissist and the sycophant need each other. The narcissist is completely dependent on the sycophant to feed his ego, to feel important and powerful.

I recall years ago while working in a hospital a mother bringing her child to the hospital many times, insisting on being involved in the child's medical care, having an unnatural interest in the medical field -- the mother was a classic case of Munchausen Syndrome, a term for psychiatric disorders, wherein illness (in this case the child's illness) is feigned in order to draw attention or sympathy to the mother. Wonder why Munchausen comes to my mind in this bizarre attachment to the Schneiders.

A spokesperson from the Pain Relief Network emailed me that I owe an apology to Dr. Schneider and Purdue Pharma. Sorry I make it a practice never to apologize to criminals.

Name	Age	On or about 1st Office Visit	On or about Last Office Visit	On or about Date of Death
Heather M	28	Aug. 27, 2001	Feb. 8, 2002	Feb. 9, 2002
Billie R	45	Oct. 19, 2001	May 2, 2002	May 4, 2002
William M	36	Nov. 12, 2002	Jan. 28, 2003	Feb. 4, 2003
Leslie C	49	April 9, 1996	Feb. 9, 2003	Feb. 14, 2003
David B	47	Nov. 18, 2002	March 12, 2003	March 15, 2003
Terry C	48	Oct. 12, 2001	April 8, 2003	April 14, 2003
Lynnise G	35	May 23, 2002	April 23, 2003	April 30, 2003
Mary S	52	Feb. 6, 2003	June 11, 2003	June 16, 2003
Dustin L	18	June 26, 2003	June 26, 2003	June 27, 2003
Marie H	43	Dec. 24, 2002	May 28, 2003	June 30, 2003
Jessie D	21	March 4, 2003	June 27, 2003	July 11, 2003
Boyce B	59	June 29, 2003	July 23, 2003	July 25, 2003
Kandace B	43	July 10, 2003	Nov. 12, 2003	Nov. 14, 2003
Katherine S	46	July 9, 2003	Nov. 19, 2003	Nov. 25, 2003
Robert S	31	June 2, 2003	Dec. 7, 2003	Dec. 8, 2003
Deborah S	44	Jan. 3, 2003	May 5, 2003	Feb. 5, 2004
Shannon Mi	38	July 27, 2003	Dec. 9, 2003	Feb. 23, 2004
Danny C	35	April 21, 2003	March 5, 2004	March 6, 2004
Vickie H	53	June 26, 2003	March 16, 2004	April 11, 2004
James C	33	March 3, 2004	June 8, 2004	June 9, 2004
Shannon Me	25	July 24, 2003	June 4, 2004	June 22, 2004
Ancira W	45	Sept. 25, 2002	June 15, 2004	July 12, 2004
Darrell H	24	Nov. 12, 2002	July 15, 2004	July 17, 2004
Michael H	37	March 9, 2004	Aug. 26, 2004	Sept. 12, 2004
Patricia C	43	Nov. 8, 2001	Oct. 4, 2004	Oct. 6, 2004
Jon P	36	April 23, 2004	Oct. 8, 2004	Oct. 20, 2004
Tresa W	43	Sept. 15, 2003	Nov. 29, 2004	Dec. 16, 2004
Jeff H	45	Jan. 10, 2003	Dec. 8, 2004	Dec. 29, 2004
Russell H	24	Aug. 23, 2003	Jan. 12, 2005	Jan. 19, 2005
Michael B	48	Sept. 30, 2004	Jan. 28, 2005	Feb. 2, 2005
Amber G	22	Aug. 13, 2003	Jan. 3, 2005	Feb. 26, 2005
Christine B	45	Dec. 11, 2001	Dec. 3, 2004	April 7, 2005
Victor J	48	Jan. 24, 2005	April 15, 2004	April 22, 2005
Randall P	44	March 10, 2005	April 22, 2005	May 3, 2005
Michael F	49	Jan. 10, 2005	May 9, 2005	May 11, 2005
Deborah M	52	Feb. 23, 2005	May 4, 2005	May 15, 2005
Patricia G	49	Feb. 1, 2003	June 18, 2005	June 20, 2005
Dustin B	22	Jan. 20, 2005	Feb. 27, 2005	June 21, 2005
Jerad M	24	July 9, 2004	June 13, 2005	June 22, 2005
Earl A	29	Sept. 22, 2004	June 29, 2005	July 3, 2005
Brad S	53	Oct. 15, 2004	June 30, 2005	July 11, 2005
Clifford C	39	July 23, 2003	June 29, 2005	July 27, 2005
Sue B	38	Oct. 21, 2002	May 12, 2005	Aug. 1, 2005
Jason P	21	Aug. 19, 2003	June 29, 2005	Sept. 4, 2005
Randall S	52	April 27, 2005	Nov. 12, 2005	Nov. 19, 2005
Thomas F	46	Feb. 15, 2005	Jan. 5, 2006	Jan. 9, 2006
Toni W	37	Dec. 30, 1999	Feb. 16, 2006	Feb. 18, 2006
Marilyn R	39	Aug. 16, 2004	March 16, 2006	April 5, 2006
Dalene C	45	Aug. 25, 2003	April 19, 2006	April 21, 2006
Eric T	46	June 2, 2003	April 19, 2006	April 23, 2006
Jo Jo R	46	Feb. 26, 2005	June 5, 2006	June 7, 2006
Mary Sue L	55	Jan. 30, 2002	June 13, 2006	June 14, 2006
Pamela F	42	March 31, 2003	July 21, 2006	July 22, 2006
Deborah W	53	July 18, 2003	Sept. 7, 2006	Sept. 9, 2006
Jeffrey J	39	May 5, 2004	Oct. 23, 2006	Oct. 24, 2006
Ronald W	56	June 29, 2004	March 20, 2007	March 23, 2007
Evelyn S	50	Dec. 12, 2004	April 16, 2007	April 17, 2007
Robin G	45	July 13, 2004	May 11, 2007	May 15, 2007
Ralph S	44	Jan. 16, 2003	May 15, 2007	July 23, 2007
Patsy W	49	Dec. 2, 1999	July 16, 2007	July 26, 2007
Donna D	48	Dec. 27, 2005	July 19, 2007	Aug. 16, 2007
Lucy S.	61	Aug. 29, 2003	Aug. 23, 2007	Aug. 28, 2007
Gyna G	33	Feb. 10, 2004	Oct. 4, 2007	Oct. 7, 2007
Casey G	28	Sept. 4, 2007	Sept. 13, 2007	Oct. 23, 2007
Julia F	50	June 20, 2007	Nov. 20, 2007	Nov. 28, 2007
Rebecca T	54	May 2, 2006	Nov. 17, 2007	Dec. 24, 2007
Jane E	40	Jan. 8, 2003	Jan. 12, 2008	Jan. 26, 2008
John D	52	June 23, 2003	Jan. 3, 2008	Feb. 10, 2008

The Series:

• Jun-24-2010: Schneiders Guilty!!! - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com
• Jun-16-2010: Schneiders Fate in the Hands of the Jury - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com
• Jun-11-2010: Schneider Trial Week 7 - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com
• Jun-09-2010: Tumbling Tumbleweeds - a Continuing Look at the Schneider Trial in Kansas - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com
• May-29-2010: Schneider Trial - Week 5 - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com
• May-23-2010: Schneider Trial - Week 4 - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com
• May-16-2010: Week 3 - Stephen Schneider Trial - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com
• May-13-2010: American Pain Society's 29th Annual Scientific Meeting - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com
• May-08-2010: Week 2 of the Schneider Trial - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com
• May-02-2010: Week 1 of Pill Mill Doc Trial in Wichita, Kansas - Marianne Skolek Salem-News.com

Marianne is a nurse having graduated in 1991 as president of her graduating class. She also has a Paralegal certification. Marianne served on a Community Service Board for the Courier News, a Gannet newspaper in NJ writing articles predominantly regarding AIDS patients and their emotional issues. She was awarded a Community Service Award in 1993 by the Hunterdon County, NJ HIV/AIDS Task Force in recognition of and appreciation for the donated time, energy and love in facilitating a Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS.

oxydeaths.com/news_chilling.htm
nytimes.com/2007/05/10/business/11drug-web.html?
blog.nj.com/njv_bob_braun/2007/07/sometimes_only_justice_can_rel.html
judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=2905&wit_id=6612
You can send Marianne an email at: mskolek@aol.com
oxydeaths.com