The family of a Viet doctor who was arrested in Mississippi and accused of running a pill mill are fighting back, claiming the doctor was innocent and that prosecutors overreached.
Dr. Victoria Van (whose Vietnamese name is Thu Hoa) has been in federal custody since her arrest on May 21 together with her husband Dr. Thomas Trieu, his brother Richard Trieu the manager of Family Medical Center in Biloxi, and their neighbor Nick Tran the pharmacist next door. Read here. They are accused of providing controlled medications to patients who don’t need them, instead acting like a drug supplier writing and filling prescriptions to whoever ask for the drugs.
The court has held two bail hearings and both times have denied bail to the doctors, agreeing with the prosecution’s claim that the two are flight risks, even though their passports have been taken away.
Talking to the Bolsavik by telephone, Dr. Van’s brother Quang Phu Van, a lecturer at Yale University, disputed this contention. “They have no passports, so where can they go,” he asked rhetorically. He believes the prosecution’s case is so weak they needed to withhold bail to pressure the couple into a plea bargain. “Because they wouldn’t be able to prove their case at trial.”
Dr. Van’s sister, Lana Van has been in Biloxi ever since the arrest, taking a leave of absence from her job as a pharmacist in Orange County.
She told the Bolsavik, “The press made a big deal from the fact that patients came from far away to see the doctors, as if that’s evidence the doctors are dealing drugs. But the fact is, Dr. Trieu and Dr. Van are the only doctors in several states that accept poor patients and charge very little or sometimes not charge at all.”
Both the brother and the sister cannot believe that the doctors could be guilty of the allegations against them. Speaking to the Bolsavik separately, they each told stories of how scrupulously honest Dr. Victoria Van and her husband are, and neither would believe she could write a prescription that’s not appropriate for the patient.
As evidence of the prosecution’s overreach, Lana Van sent the Bolsavik excerpts from Dr. Van’s second bail hearing before a magistrate judge. Under cross-examination by Dr. Van’s attorney, the lead investigator admitted that they never asked any doctor or medical authority to look at the prescriptions to see if they were appropriate. (The excerpts don’t have the direct examination, so the Bolsavik can’t say what’s in there.)
Quote from the transcripts:
Question by Mr. Michael Crosby, attorney for Dr. Van:
Let’s go specifically to Dr. Van, have you taken any of her records to any doctor, or to anyone who knows what they are talking about, not just guessin, not an agent, not a DEA agent, but somebody who really is in a position to make that determination, and asked them to review this and say, I see that on this occasion that what happened here was medically wrong?
Answer by DEA Agent Terry Davis:
We have not talked to any other doctors of yet, not.
Q.: But you have hired an expert, right?
A: Yes.
Q: But you didn’t ask the expert about Dr. Van and show Dr. Van’s medical records, right?
A: What I am telling the Court is –
Q: Yes or no, please.
A: Your Honor, I am going to give you the short answer in one second, which is no, with a brief explanation of, we are still reviewing those medical records, and as such, the expert obviously hasn’t had time to review the large array of those medical records.
Q: Do you understand that while you are reviewing those records that a doctor is incarcerated and sleeping on a pad in a jail, a board-certified doctor? Can you give the Court a time frame when you think that this might — could be done and accomplished?
Mr. John Meynardie, prosecutor: I guarantee you it will be done by trial, Judge.
With both parents held, the couple’s young children are staying with his grandparents in their small home — and they have no cars. The cars they have been driving are under Dr. Trieu’s name and had been seized.
The attorney has put up a web site just for this case, here. On the site are pages and pages of testimonials by patients and others who knew Dr. Van and Dr. Trieu, attesting to their character and the care they gave.
Bolsavik,
Do you have a copy of the indictment handy? I googled, but could not locate it.
Without commenting on the allegations, I read that friends at the bond hearing offered to put up their homes as collateral for the bond, and some offered to trade places with defendants. It’s crappy to find yourself in that kind of a same situation, but it’s nice to know people care about you.
Be reserved in drawing conclusions. Honesty has nothing to do with violating the laws. Honest people violate traffic law (such as speeding), forget to pay child support (a criminal offense), etc., on a daily basis. So, it’s possible that honest doctors just forget to observe federal laws pertaining to prescription of controlled medications…
A side note about the Yale’s lecturer’s argument, “They have no passports, so where can they go,” a newly graduated prosecuting attorney could respond easily: “They can go anywhere in the USA!”
<<>>
It’s nice to know people care about you on such level and degree…but those people know for a fact that their offers could never be accepted in court, thus, I, myself would willing to sell my only Burger King joint, my aircraft collection and trade places with them in jail too.
People know you or knew you?. Most of the sympathizers knew them but not knowing them. They moved away from So. Ca five years ago. and in those five years external factors can change them. When their principles are compromised, greed will slowly takeover their hearts and their minds and they will no longer know who they are , how the heck other people know them. Just have to wish them good luck with the legal system, unforntunately, in their cases there is no DNA to test their minds or their souls.
Here are the crux of the crux of the prosecutor case:
1. Dr. Trieu admited that he was aware of the questionable prescriptions but he did it anyway for financial gain.
2. Dr. Van was aware of the “questionable activity of her husband” and she got mad at him and did not talk with him for two weeks-per the informant (must be a person worked in their office). Dr. Van had an option to walk away and should not return to the office and work but she chose to ignore it.
3. How can they prove that only two doctors can examine 160 patients a day?. Asking any doctors, they will tell you that that is impossible. Maximum reasonable range is 25 – 40 patients per doctor per day.
4. A mass fortune they accumulated $10 Million, wow, it must be something here.
here is my theory of whay they could amass a $10 Million fortune:
Dr. Trieu practiced medicine since 1997, Dr. Van since 2003. Assuming they saw 160 patients a day: say 80 patients are ligilimate, 80 are junkies, and assuming that $80 per junkies they collected. and assuming that they took 4 week vacation a year then:
$80 x 80 junkies x 48 weeks x 5 days = $1,536,000 per year
$1,536,000 x 8 years of practice = $12,288,000
This explains why the Magistrate denied the bonds. cash mus be somewhere either in Mississippi or in California.
To have DEA involved which means the “fishy” activities had been going on for a long time and finally wide spread to other areas (“patients from other area travel to see Dr. Van because they are poor”… Pharmacy would only report to local agency if the “questionable” narcotic prescriptions are presented by several different patients but with the same prescribing patterns. Yes, honesty has nothing to do with violating the law. Especially, to charge patient (in this case, the junkies) $40 – $80 by just making the phone call to the pharmacy or to scribble a script. Shouldn’t Dr. Van’s sister who, according to the press, is a pharmacist and practices in CA, remind her of DEA regulation and not to play with fires? Haven’t the pharmacy called to verify all the narc scripts your office prescribed? So ironic. No doubt of the alleged crime. Sit tight and see how the DEA handle this case.
What is next after the DEA case. I am very sure, the IRS is following the case and will go full force for unreported cash income. Dr. Van’s family is putting on a strategy to make a lot of noise and looking for support from whom ever they can get their hands on, big names such as congressmen, scientists, spiritual leaders, professional associations. Detracting a portion of the court hearing in the article above, but not full a hearing transcript is misleading. It is reflecting a desperation on the Van’s family. No mention at all about Dr. Trieu’s innocent, are you silently admitting that he is guilty?. Did Dr. Van’s sister say in the past “they” are innocent. The DEA don’t go after the innocents, they are going after the criminals.
One piece of information from an experienced Deputy D.A.: A prosecuting attorney will not pursue a case if she is not 90% certain that she will be able to prove the case.
@Tien Huynh: I’m not so sure about such a rosy and idealistic view of prosecutors, but it that makes no difference. Even if your DA friend were right, all it means is that prosecutors won’t DELIBERATELY overreach and they won’t INTENTIONALLY prosecute wrongfully. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be overreaching or prosecuting wrongfully out of, say, lack of knowledge or lack of diligence or failure to understand how other ethnicities and cultures work (for example, Viet parents have been prosecuted AND CONVICTED for child abuse because they “ca.o gio’ ” their kids).
Without commenting on this case itself, I’d say that prosecutors are human and are driven by bias, passion, … They jump to conclusion and can be unduly influenced by their own views of how the world works — just like the rest of us.
Most of us wouldn’t do anything unless we’re so-sure we’re right. And yet we’re wrong all the time.
Just because prosecutors are 90% sure they’re right — doesn’t mean they are.
Almost everyone is biased. The prosecutors are biased, so are the independent jurors, so is the judge. And the jurors are the triers of facts based on biased evidence presented by the prosecutors and the defense. To obtain as many convictions as possible, many prosecutors are eager to prosecute and sometimes are overreaching. But their acts are restrained by their own reputation and public opinion. A wrongful prosecution may damage a prosecutor’s career seriously. That prosecutors are 90% sure they are right doesn’t mean they are right; it means the defendant is more likely to be convicted even though he honestly believes he is innocent.
I first went to see Dr. Trieu in August of 2006. I had just moved here from North Carolina where I had been under the care of a psychiatrist for 6 years. My psychiatrist diagnosed me with an anxiety disorder in 1999 and prescribed valium as a maintenence drug. When I moved to Biloxi I had the worst time finding a psychiatrist. I went to see Dr Trieu shortly after he opened his new office one block from my house. I explained my situation and he prescribed the valium telling me to bring my N.C. medical records the next time I came in. He never asked about them again. I went to see him every month, $80 for the visit, $14 for the valium. On my third visit he asked how I was and I mentioned I was on my way to work and had a terrible headache. He said he would prescribe something for it. When I went to the pharmacy they gave me my valium and a bottle of 90 furocets (a powerful and addictive barbiturate). After that whenever I saw him he would ask me if I was still having headaches and if I wanted furocets, even after a year of telling him no, he still offered. I noticed the waiting room became packed all the time, every single day of the week. Most of the people that were in there were under 25 years of age. They spoke openly (and loudly) to each other about what kind of painkillers they were getting and how many different doctors they were seeing. They exchanged phone numbers or agreed to wait for each other in the parking lot to swap drugs. I knew he was going to be busted and I was only there once a month, theres no way he didn’t expect to be arrested. The last time I was in there was May 8th and some DEA agents came in right after me saying they wanted to speak to the doctor. When I went to the pharmacy to pick up my script they came in there right after me saying they wanted to speak to the pharmacist. A week later I saw on the news he was arrested. Nobody was surprised.
actualpatient,
you visited the medical office and the pharmacy with or without your gun and badge?
GUILTY!!!!
LittleSaigonese,
I vistied his office as a patient every month for almost two years. I have no idea what makes you think I have either a gun or a badge, when all I needed was $80 in cash. They say he was seeing 160 patients a day, thats 3200 patients per month, is it really difficult for you to believe a lot of us are following this case? I’m surprised some of his other patients haven’t posted anything yet. I guarantee hundreds, if not thousands of them had the exact same experience as me.
to Actualpatient: you have a courage to tell the truth. There are some who will never agree with you even though the truth is so convincing. If I were you, I would contact the DEA to provide this information.
I don’t have anything against him personally, he simply wrote a script for medicine I’d already been taking for years. He was there when I needed him the most. After Katrina there were very few psychiatrists in the area who were taking new patients or patients without insurance. I’m old enough to know better than to start taking addictive painkillers. But what I saw is the same thing everyone saw…he was giving addictive morphine based drugs to teenagers, young mothers, and dealers. He was quite blatent about it and I have to believe that his plan was to do this until he got busted. I’m sure he believed, as most of us did, that he would merely lose his medical license, and then retire with the millions of dollars he made. I still think they’ll settle, I just wonder if he’ll get back any of the things they seized from him and his partners. Of the 9 patients who overdosed and died shortly after visiting him, I’ve read that atleast 3 were under 21 years old. I still don’t understand why Dr. Van is in jail at all. Writing 2 prescriptions just doesn’t seem terrible enough that she should spend the entire summer in prison. The whole thing is just sad.
ActualPatient: You are smart enough not to let the doctors to abuse his authority to turn you into a drug addict for his ill-gain. However, you have to look beyond the addiction fact. Indirectly, these doctors could, unethically, have wrecked so many people lives. They are indirectly helping them to sink further into the dark whole. Like an evolving door, these patients have no mean of support their drug habit and therefore, poverty comes along with unemployment (take time off work to “doctor shopping”), abandon their kids …. finally the burden is on the society, welfare. Also, it’s the abusive level of an addict on their own family, friends … when they are physically and mentally controlled by the medication. At the point, the fine line of differences between human and animal is dismissed. My personal opinion, this doctor has abused his authority granted by law to practice medicine. He and his wife are both just too greedy. How come it took so long for the DEA to get them? I applause you for speaking up the truth.
By the way, your headache medication is Fioricet.
fiorccet is neither a barb, or narcotic..i saw dr. trieu and van on occassion..i’ve been going ther since way before katrina and let me make this very clear–Dr. Trieu had changed his policies after Katrina..there were definatly thuglets coming in the last few months, but I also want to say I witnessed a BIG guy upset cause Trieu wouldnt write what he wanted- he proceeded to break the door of the office, then workers in the office commented that Trieu was assaulted(slapped.)wich of course i didnt see from the waiting room. When biloxi police showed they seemed VERY non-chalant, as if so what. I had also heard him take alot of verbal abuse from certain patients..I am not saying that that makes his actions right, but if he couldnt call the cops for protection..I mean if they would allow someone to slap a Dr, why should he feel that the same THEY care what kinna scripts he wrote.
Also Dr. would NEVER write more than a months supply of medicine, usually and consistantly 30 pills NO REFILLS..it wasn’t like some of the white owned pain clinics around here that write 100s of oxycontin..For example 15 years ago i was a teenager.. there was a DR bridges giving me 90 2mg xanax a month- he was 70 before getting into any trouble and then only asked to retire. No seizure of property, nothing. Trieu WOULD NEVER WRITE ANYTHING STRONGER THAN LORTAB OR SUCH A LARGE QUANTITY AS BRIDGES..as the other patient said the waiting room and parking lots were becoming sketchy, but that was only in the last year. Now, It is impossible to get the meds i need and can afford for my chronic cough..Other docs will write more potene meds just because they are aware of the 1 Trieu wrote most commonly, wich i perfer because it is at LEAST half price of others and it isnt so strong I vomit. Bottom line he should have quit taking new patients.
Dr. van should be immediatly freed and reinstated—THIS IS THE RACIST BIGGOTED SOUTH-BELIEVE ME that extends and shows no more clearly in our state and fed. courts
ok well let me put my foot in my mouth fiorcet does contain a mild barb, but it isnt narcotic
netress..where do i begin..are you thatnaive??? a junky will be a junky…Trieu nor Van made anyone into that..if you are that unaware I really dont want to waste my time talking to you..Your last staement shows your ignorance 10 fold. You are suggesting people who go to doctors for their problems will soon fall victim to poverty????PLEASE…I guess they’d be much better off going to the street to score smack. I am very compassionate to all parties involved, including those who combined other drugs(from the street) with the ones Trieu wrote and ODed, but BLIND IGNORANCE gets no compassion here..as we say in the south “please ya’ll read your commits before posting” maybe then you can see how dumb you sound.
I really don’t know what took the DEA so long. I actually thought maybe the DEA was in on it all. Everytime I went there I was astonished that they were getting away with this. I actually thought it was a Mississippi thing, maybe the laws were different in this state. The practice was not just fishy, it was blatently crooked. But it wasn’t always that way. When I first started going there 2 years ago they all seemed very professional, and the other patients I saw in the waiting room were actually sick or injured. During the fall of last year things started to change drastically. There were always a few patients in the waiting room who were obviously stoned. The doctors and staff began wearing everyday clothes instead of the lab coats and scrubs they used to wear. There were a lot of teenagers coming in together in groups of 4 or 5. People would hang around outside in the smoking area and sell their drugs. The practice was in the process of installing outdoor cameras the last time I was there (the day the DEA agents came in showing their badges and asking to speak to the doctor and the pharmacist). He faxed all scripts to the pharmacy, which was right across the hall. While I was in the pharmacy waiting for them to fill my valium a few of the other patients were in a state of panic over the DEA agents. I felt a little sorry for these people, it must be horrible to be addicted to painkillers, but I still felt like they had to shoulder some of the blame, although when I was that young I may have had some difficulty saying no. I wonder how many of these people were junkies before they started seeing Trieu. One thing is certain, if your patient is addicted to a drug only you will give them, you can be sure they will keep coming back. A lot of people have come forward to say what a wonderful doctor he is, but the man DID cause a lot of suffering and atleast a few deaths. Noway can anyone dispute that. Xanax comes with a warning not to take with alcolhol or other sedatives, as do codein and hydrocodone. To tell your patient to take all three at the same time goes beyond malpractice, and the DEA really screwed up by letting him continue to practice for months and months just so they could collect enough evidence for a strong case. There was plenty of evidence in the patients medical charts to shut him down earlier and maybe save a few lives. By the way, does anyone know when he’s due in court? I know it’s August but am unsure of the date.
2nd actual patient,
As I read your comments I actually became embarrassed for you. Your posts are riddled with misspelled words and grammatical errors and you have the audacity to trash another blogger for not reading her “commit” before posting, otherwise she may look dumb and be subjected to ridicule. Perhaps it’s the codeine in your favorite cough syrup or maybe years of taking 6 mg of xanax a day. Either way, your brain is fried. The reason Dr Trieu would only prescribe 1 month worth of meds at a time is because he wanted that $80 for the office visit every month, which is also why he kept taking new patients. The man was greedy. Also, the patients who overdosed were NOT mixing Trieu’s scripts with street drugs, they were mixing codeine, xanax and lortabs that they got from Trieu. Trieu wasn’t arrested because of his race, I suspect that comment can also be blamed on your years of drug abuse. Barbiturates are a controlled substance and highly addictive, I know they aren’t a narcotic, if they were, I would have called them a narcotic. Also, if all the “white owned” pain clinics around here are handing out scripts so freely, and getting away with it because they are white, why don’t you just go to them to get your drugs? It wouldn’t be because you yourself are too racist to patronize a business owned by white people would it? I doubt it, junkies like you will do anything and go anywhere for their fix. And that’s probably the reason the police have little sympathy for Dr trieu and his problems with his drug addicted patients. The fact is, most doctors don’t like to treat junkies. Drug addicts have trouble holding down jobs, they often turn to crime to feed their habits, they are also more likely to neglect their children and yes, as netress said, they do fall victim to poverty. Most rehab facilities call it “hitting bottom”. Perhaps this is the very reason YOU cannot afford the meds you “need”. Try rehab, I’m sure there are hundreds of Trieu’s patients there who you’ll be able to relate to quite easily.
I suspect that 2ndactualpatient is one of the “co-conspirator” of Dr. Trieu, Dr. Van. pharmacist or the office manager. He or she throws in the race card in order blame the DEA for the problems. Since the arrest in May, many people I talked to, all agree that, after reading the indictment, the doctors, pharmacist and the office manager were in for financial gain, disregarded for the consequences from the drugs they prescrided, dispensed. The 2ndactualpatient must be an experienced doctor, pharmacist or having excellent knowledge in the medical/drug field. There is no race issue in here. If there is, please speak up cleary and loudly. The DEA does not make up the facts and waiting for the lawsuits to be filed for wrongul prosecution.
I doubt 2ndpatient has any education in the field at all, I suspect he or she was a regular client and is upset her dealer has been arrested. She says she needs this codeine as a maintenence drug for her chronic cough. That is ridiculous. Chronic cough is a symptom of an underlying illness or disease. She said it’s now impossible to get the “meds” she needs, this tells me she was probably one of the patients who were taking several different controlled substances. If a person is sick enough to warrant such drug cocktails as this, they can go to any emergency room and get treatment. I had no trouble at all finding a new doctor. Of course if you’re just drug seeking you’ll get nowhere. She also went into great detail about what Dr. Trieu prescribed and how much and how often. (quote) “Also Dr. would NEVER write more than a months supply of medicine, usually and consistantly 30 pills NO REFILLS” How the hell does she know what he prescribed his other patients? 30 pills? 30 pills of what? I mentioned, in passing, a headache and instead of asking if I’d taken any aspirin he faxed a script for 90 Fioricets to the pharmacy. 90! That would mean 3 pills a day along with the 20 mg of valium I already take. I suppose if I had started taking those pills everyday two years ago, I too would now be claiming I need them. I’ts a simple case of drug addiction. The fact that she talks about the cough syrup she claims to need and then goes on to describe his policy for pills tells me he was also writing her scripts for some other narcotics that she didn’t need and became addicted to. This is precisely the reason he was arrested. This person is just one of the many victims. Drug withdrawals has got to be one of the worst things a person will ever have to go through. A lot of people are suffering this summer, the addicts who are rehabing and the loved ones of the people who overdosed and died. Trieu will get his day in court and I cannot wait to hear what his defense will be, that goes for Tran too.
P.S. I also witnessed a large angry man yelling at Dr Trieu from the waiting room. He was saying his girlfriend was a zombie from the pills Trieu gave her and was threatening to call the FDA if Trieu ever gave her anymore. The receptionists and Dr Trieu seemed unaffected and just asked him to leave or they would call the authorities. I’m sure that particular man was happy to see the practice shut down.
ActualPatient-your point is well taken and much appreciated. I do not have experience about drug use or drug addiction. The doctor or doctors must pay for their greeds. I read somewhere that one of their relatives commented that the Doctors are not responsible for the deaths. I have to disagree to this irresponsible defense since they facilitated and provided the drugs to the addicts knowingly that the drugs would put them at higher risk.
actool patienet
GOOD)I am a he not she, and have had near fatal pulmonary problems since the age of 12 and have luckily found a med that i could use when it flares-u sound like a junky in denile, so quick to judge- I wasnt exactly trashing anyone jus explaining W.I.N. what I notice. fyi i personally haven’t yet ever experienced withdrawl-You sound like u got it down to the Ts though-personal experience???
i can misspell 4000 words and not be as ignorant and self righteous as you. I have a masters in anthrapolgy from usm class of 2004, that alone probably gives me alot more credability than you.(PERIOD) Self wriousness is a sign of insecurity, wich you obvioslie are!! u are no judge or jury- i understand that the point of this blog is disscusssion..If u can read I said that Dr bridges had me on 6mg of xanax at age 15, not trieu. i didn’t regularly get xanax from Trieu, but i work in Venezuela(spell that) and am afraid to fly so yes on occasion i obtained 30 2mg xanax…like u admitted it wasn’t very hard to hear what the other clients/patients were getting..as far as painkillers -it seemed to me to be consistantly 30.
I also happen to have known Matt Miller(bless the dead) attorney eddie miler son, what was failed to be mentioned was the fact he also had cocaine and methamphetamine in his body after death. S
u say u ‘v been here 2 years, im pushin 30- i hate to tell ya but u dont kno ish about ish.
when i say it is almost impossible to get the “meds” i perfer, it is actually one cough suppressant, and I do have anothwhite doctor prescribing me Tussionex, wich is many times stronger than promethazine(a 60 year old medicine used to control nausea associated with narcotics effects)..it was no problem for any dr to write prometha until all the recent controversy..with that said why should drs be scared to write a less addictive much much cheaper medicine because of a news story- this is the problem with many drs.
u said ur self that no psych would take u(since u wanna get personal about my dosage of medicine , wich in fact you’re wrong about). Lets talk about your prolonged use of Valium, anxiety disordeer is to be treated TEMPORARILY with benzos, only until another less addictive medicine is found to control anxiety, or to treat a random panic attack. Do ya research, benzos are not made to be taken regularly in most circumstances.(ie terminal, extreme bi-polar)Since u feel u have the expertise to diagnose me, let me say I beleive u r ADDICTED.
I HATE a self-righteous hipacret(like the spellin
Let me try to be very grammatically correct so you can’t bend my words here: People without jobs usually cant afford doctors, welfare dont cover that smartbass. They’ll usually take it to the street..Look around on Division(street the clinic was on) and I GAURANTEE even a stuck up nobody with no money(just a keyboard and what seems to be a big ol mouth)will see plenty REAL junkies.
It would be immature for me at 30 to go on arguing with what sounds like an old space cadetette about who is more a junky..so I’ll excuse your comments and accept your apology.
I also do personally know alot of the Trans family, a neice was once a girlfriend and still is a dear friend,s o I may have come off like a know it all, but that is only because I’m privy to info ya’ll probably aren’t. Most of wich I wont speak on.
By the way I’m white- and probably shouldn’t use just that race alone, but here again I didnt wanna bring in certain names- but there is a black doctor whose been arrested for cocaine and multiple DUIs and he will reopen a clinic in the coming months-his license wasnt revoked just suspended-so maybe I should have said American?? dunno. I do know our justice system sux a bigen. Thats a fact. #1 they have their passports, why cant they bond out, especially Van. She has 2 kids to take care of. 2nd how can a viet man get a fair trial by peers with 12 non-viet jurors..plus WE ARE IN MISSISSIPPI,as in Ms burning, Emmit Teel, u cant possibly say that biggotry is affluant here as much as anywhere, guess u think after 1969 it was bagdom and hairlove- that erasedthe previous 400 years and now we can all jus live side by side in Love…Ya’ll live in wonderland America and I’ll keep on keepin on with reality. Oh yea, hope u can beat that valium problem actual!!
With all of that out of the way , I will agree on a few things the valium addict had to say, such as greed played a big role in this whole case. Dr Trieu knew he was hot and chose to keep taking new illegit clients-as for their dress attire, that has to be one of the dumbest comments I’ve heard from u guys yet!! Does that impair his ability?? let actual tell it!lol
Alls I was tryin to say is that if 1 wished to get high on prescription drugs they are still very readily available, I have a 15 year old honor student and recently found percocets(wich Trieu refused to write, bet u cant find evidence/hearsay to disprove that) in his suit jacket pocket..I’ve only taken percocet 1 time in my life, when my wisdom teeth were removed..I wonder how that happened.
Actual, you are from N.Carolina,probably one of the few states with more racial tension than mine, so it is no surprise to me that u’d like to pretend its not there, I’ll even go so far to suggest(from your comments) you have some very strong predjudice in you(notice I didn’t call u a racist, name calling is childish- take a lesson). I sincerly would hate for any1 to be separated from their children, especially when they had so much to offer their children-both are very intelegent and warm, caring people-just another victim of predjudice capitalism…Keep the old money old, and the new money spent. Actual patient, I really hated to get so personal, but your uninformed comments are ridiculous and I think that if u think(u sound semi-intellegent) about the situation from Trieu’s perspective you might have a little more compasssion. Iam not tryin to victimize anyone, but Dr. Trieu was ripped from his war torn country as a pre-adolecent and moved to a neo concentration camp in Malaysia for his teen years and still perservered to obtain his MD, I very seriosly doubt that you have been through or triumphed like that in any aspect of your life. Don’t be so quick to judge, leave that to The Most High.
ps I spell how the ell i wanna- gotta problem?? Bet I make more a year than u have in the last 5
2ndactualpatient,
I don’t know who The Most High is, although I suspect you’re higher than most right now if you expect anyone to believe anything you’ve written. Too bad about your kid, sorry to hear it, although I am not even close to surprised. I guess you should have spent less time in school and more time raising him. But it’s okay because now you have enough money to pay for rehab for the whole family. By the way, where were your parents when you were knocking up your girlfriend and obtaining an illegal amount of xanax from some rogue doctor at the age of 15? Same place you were when YOUR 15 year old started? People like you perpetuate the stereotype, then you bitch about it being there. Society isn’t your problem, you are. By the way, I said I lived in N.C. before I came here, I’m not from there. I’ve lived all over this country and there are racists and biggots and people like you everywhere. There are also honest, healthy, happy, prosperous people of every race going about their lives and not having too much trouble with the judicial system or The Man keeping them down.
I certainly hope your professors didn’t let you hand in papers written “how the ell you wanna”, and that degree you spent 8 years obtaining… I hope it doesn’t say antrApology on it.
Please.
Anyway, speaking to the interested parties who AREN’T idiots…I see that the attorneys will be in court next week asking for bail (inspite of the fact that the prosecuters got an indefinite continuance to present their case). After reading the indictment and speaking to others who are following this case, I believe any reasonable judge would grant bail to Dr. Van. The charges against her are not that serious compared to the other 3 defendants. From what I’ve heard and read she seems like an honest citizen who married the wrong man. They say she’s a conspirator because she didn’t walk away or report her business partners for malpractice. But, it’s a lot more difficult to walk away from your partner or report his unethical practices when that partner is also your husband and the father of your children. I can’t see how the judge can consider her a flight risk. How can anyone believe this woman is going to go on the run with her children and spend the rest of her life in hiding because of these 4 charges?
I also hope that the Judge will grant bail to Dr. Van. I agree with you that she married the wrong guy. I heard that the marriage was an ill guided match by a family member. I still believe that upon learning of her husband unehtical practice, she should stay home, raise the children, and should not associate herself to the practice. She was not only aware of his unethical practice but also a willing participant in it, building a new medical office and invested in real estate, since she probably thought they were not going to get caught. I believe this is how the DEA was waiting and waiting for Dr. Van into committing the crime before presenting the case to the grand jury for indictment What I read somewhere, that she comes from a strong christian faith family and her father is a pastor, I am presuming that the choice between right and wrong is not that difficult.
I agree 100% bystander. I guess we’ll know by next week if she’ll atleast be able to await trial at home or spend more time in jail.
Ok, let’s stop calling each other names and concentrate on the real issue. I truly believe that these so called Doctors are guilty of many charges. They only prescribed 30 pills at a time so they can make the extra $80 every month. If it’s true like they claim to help patient’s with lower incomes or don’t have medical coverage, then why $80? There is a Vietnamese doctor in my town where he only charges $25 for patients with no medical insurance. He even sends them to other facilities to have their labs and blood work done for an extra $25 and that’s it. With that price, you know that he’s not making money. That’s a doctor that helps their patients out. Not by charging a ridiculous fee of $80. That is the full price that doctors charges to the insurance company if you come in for a simple visit. So Actualpatient2- Do you get the picture and not defend these fraudulent thugs. You may have dated one of their family member, but that doesn’t mean crap!
I do have a question for Actualpatient. If you think that these Doctors are so guilty of their wrong doing, why do you keep coming back?
medical student,
The reason I kept going back is purely because of procrastination. Every month I’d come home and say “That’s it! I’m getting a real doctor.” Meaning a psychiatrist. Prescribing valium as a maintenance drug is not something that family practitioners do, it’s something psychiatrists do. When I first got here I had trouble getting in to see an actual psychiatrist with or without insurance (one doctor wanted $350 and then I would still have to wait like 6 weeks to see him…but, he needed $175 just to make the appointment.) That was shortly after the storm. Anyway, Trieu opened his office just down the street and someone told me to go see him, so I did. After my insurance kicked in I ABSOLUTELY should have and planned to go to a doctor more qualified for my needs, I just kept putting it off. I hated to be associated with the type of people that were there in the last year but, it was VERY convenient to go up the street once a month, walk in and get valium. (although, now I’m seeing a psychiatrist and I only need to see him every 3 months, which is how the psychiatrists I’d seen before worked). But, yes, I am totally guilty of going back there every month in order to avoid that first visit with a new shrink. I hate those assessment visits. I’d been through 4 already because my doctors before had either retired or moved and they would refer me to a colleague who was taking their patients now. So there ya go. Thats the long answer, the short answer is “Because I could. And I wasn’t violating any law or oath.”
I also read that they were helping out low income people and that made me laugh out loud.
I never saw Dr. Van. I guess she must have been there, but when I signed in I always circled Trieu instead of Van as the doctor I was there to see, as did every single person who signed in before me, I always checked to see how many people were ahead of me if I was there without an appointment. I had no idea who Van was or even that Dr. Van was a woman until after the arrests. As for their guilt or innocence, all I can really attest to is how Dr. Trieu acted as MY doctor. I know he’s guilty of prescribing ME medicine I didn’t need, but he isn’t charged with prescribing 90 barbiturates to me because I said I had a headache. Everything else is based on what I seen in the waiting room and what I’ve read in the papers. In other words, I’m just really interested in this whole case. I read the indictment out of curiosity and the opinons I have are just…opinons. I have no reason to lie, I am not biased in anyway.
I do have a question for you medical student. What exactly makes you truly believe these so called doctors are guilty of all these charges? That isn’t a rhetorical question, I’d really like to know what the potential jurors are already thinking, just out of curiosity.
thats just what im sayin’ THANK YOU this goofy butt paitient wanna be so self righteous and dictate right and wrong but the chic kept on goin back to see trieu to get her”valium fix,”but seriously u know the saying bout opinions are like @$$holes we all got em-Im not bout to keep checkin this site to see what kinna hotflashes actual goin through today, it just seem REAL hipicritical for her to condem a DR she wAS SEEING WHEN HE GOT IN TROUBLE-SO SHE SAYS liar liar liar- cause she say she got her script WRONG- i told your uninformed keister that I am great friends with Nick (Trans) neice who also happens to work at the pharmacy(a much more credible source) No one got their scripts that day..4 undercovers had consectutive appointments @ 8:30(when it opens) by nine they shut everything down- and searched many/mos patients..giving none of them their meds (duh, it would have been illegal, obviously- thats what the whole case is about..you are just some(most likely overweight lazy menopausal who plays on the internet when u should be working productively)U better beleive mon. when i go back to work in Venezuela(2 weeks on 2 off)i aint gone be sittin bickerin with a know it all that dont know ish about ish-at best is very misinformed and likes to make things up to put herself in a key position to comment..ACTUAL get outahere like lou pinella- yes i went to school, yes i was a pain n da tail as a youth- the line draws when u comment on my kid..at least i provide and care for him..we all make mistakes especially when we’re young..honestly if i could jump thru the screen i’d prolly grab your fat jawl and choke sum sense in ya-LEAVE MY BOY OUT OF THIS..i put him in it, but it stops here. u broke and try to pretend to bee smart wit ya lil big $6 words cummin outta 2 cent mouth..GET A LIFE..mind ya biz, then and only then ya just might see u aint perfect or always right, and just maybe you’ll do somethin wit ya self besides maysayin..if ya dont understand The Most High let me spell it out for ya ld self. A diety, rather it be God, Allah, Buddha I dont care whomever u chose and as for me bein racist my son is black and so is my fiance…north carolina dont allow that,so a native carolinian wouldnt understand!!Watch ya mouth when speakin on people’s family,especially when u do it from a safe place(online)-that is upmost COWARDESS..u admit u are lazy, a procrastinator, and told TRIEU you had a headache, y would u tell a dr that unless u wanted something done about it and frankly i DONNOT beleive he gave u 90, thats just not his style, knowing TRieu I would ASSUME that he wouldnt give u more than a months supply, like u said he wanted that 80 every month..I dont know work it out with ya shrink maybe he/she’ll tell ya to blame others for YOUR actions is a scapegoat to make u feel better orsuperior to those who have accomplished much more..like i said spend more time on your problems and ya life might take a turn N.Carolina valium addict. oh yea remember stupid people make stupid kids so go get ya tubes tied immegiatly(immediately, since ya dont like misspellings)
Gosh Darn another know it all
MED STUDENT-u r just that a student and are not from around here obviously $80 is super cheap for a Dr. visit on the coast and its not about dating THAT IS A DEAR FRIEND and regular aquaintance, her boyfriend will be my best man when i marry. When u pay that 80 u get the bloodwork included, so even by those standards u r town set its comparable…How can u call a refugee that goes on to obtain a md a thug? being that u r on this site there is a good possibility that u yourself are Vietnamese,ask your parents if so that was a terrible time in history 4 vietnamese.
Then think if YOU were raised with nothing, stripped from your homeland and all of the sudden started EARNING good money greed may just take a hold of you too. I was raised poor but thanks too gas prices being so high and me being in therefining bussiness I have a lil somethin’ NOT NEAR what trieu had but a good lil. In my opinon some of our practices are immoral(envading Iraq, contracting american refiners, dealing with Saudi, who flew into the trade center)but I have mouths to feed and want to enjoy life. We all gotta do our best to live while\\compramising, not selling out, but finding a niche that we can live with. i HAVE FEW REGRETS, i BET THE VALIUM ADDICT DOESNT FEEL THE SAME, even though she’ll never addmit it..
I hope u go on to be the best doc u can,sincerly but there are always 2 sides to a coin. Condoning evry action Trieu took is ludacris,at the end of the day u have to look yourself in the miror and decide if u r doing more good than bad, i say IF he could do that, let h8im make it. thats just me though..I can tell you one thing if u ever have the intellegence that trieu or van had(however misused it may have been)u’ll make 1 great doc
I read a little bit of 2patients blog, what I could understand anyway. The receptionist told me the first time I went that it would be $100.00 for the intitial visit and $80 every visit after that and THAT DID NOT INCLUDE ANY LABWORK, X-RAYS ETC. They always took your bloodpressure and weight. The one time I did actually need x-rays and an ultra sound, Trieu referred me elsewhere. And that was after my insurance kicked in, he said he wasn’t equipped for it.
I read a little bit of 2patients blog, what I could understand anyway. The receptionist told me the first time I went that it would be $100.00 for the intitial visit and $80 every visit after that and THAT DID NOT INCLUDE ANY LABWORK, X-RAYS ETC. They always took your bloodpressure and weight. The one time I did actually need x-rays and an ultra sound, Trieu referred me elsewhere. And that was after my insurance kicked in, he said he wasn’t equipped for it.
What goes around, comes around.
Some of the Vans family members are well educated and they focus only on fame and wealth, they’ve tried to destroy others by slandering and gossiping.
What I’ve seen happening now to the life of Dr. Thu Hoa is :
She is the innocent one that has to reap what her sister has sown for years
Thu Hoa doesn’t deserve this, she was so desperate that she married to the wrong guy. The person that hooked her up with this Dr. wrong is the one to be blamed.
Learn your lesson,
Thu Hoa should Thank GOD for this bad thing happened to her, because this is the way God open for her to get out the bad marriage.
jeez, 2nd actual,
please try to read the posts completely before you reply, this is becoming stupid. What I said was I was there on the 8th, the DEA agents came to the office window, showed their badges and asked to speak to the doctor (as I was leaving out of the office itself.) While I was in the pharmacy waiting for my script to get filled a few other patients came in and were commenting on the DEA agents being in the doctors office. Then they came into the pharmacy, showed their badges to the cashier, (who had just given me my script and cashed me out), and asked to speak to the pharmacist. It was a week later that he was raided. I’m still wondering what went on during those visits on the 8th. I’m sure it will come out in trial. It seemed strange that they had a heads up that they were being investigated. I’m sure you could google the date of the raid, you don’t have to be close friends with any of the defendants. Also, this whole 30 pills a month thing is ridiculous. The details of the charges will come out sooner or later. Maybe on the xanax the agents obtained it was one pill per day, probably to be taken at night…something like that. But how could he prescribe a months worth of painkillers, to be taken one pill a day? Normally painkillers say something like take one every four hours as needed for pain.
As for Trieu’s refill policy, that is more speculation. Yes, I’m sure that he demanded his patients see him once a month and here’s how I know.
The first visit with Dr. Trieu he asked me how many valium I was taking. I told him 30 mgs a day and he wrote me a script for 90 pills @ 10mg each. The second time I saw him was 6 weeks later and he said he knew I was only taking 2 a day because I came in after 6 weeks instead of 4 and he dropped my script down to 60. I explained my insurance wouldn’t become valid for few more months and I was paying cash (usually doctors are sympathetic to patients without insurance, he was the opposite). He acted as if I were screwing him in some way by not paying that $80.00 EVERY 30 days. It seemed ridiculous to me at the time because any other doctor I ever went to WANTED you to take less. They were happy if you stretched a 30 day script out over 6 weeks. Less is always better.
Anyway, I’m sure we’ll find out more about this in the future. I don’t know any of them personally nor do I know any of his other patients personally, but the whole thing is just sad. Also, as I said before, I heard other patients talking about getting scripts, swapping drugs, and seeing other doctors while they were in the waiting room. But I didn’t know what doctor Trieu was doing…(maybe these people were lying to him, or each other) I didn’t know. It was only after the raid that I heard about the overdosing teens and all the people getting that cough syrup, xanax and painkillers all at the same time. I guess I just didn’t think it was possible for him to be that stupid. I wasn’t surprised when he was arrested but I was in complete shock when I found out the extent of the DEA’s case against him.
And if Trieu is found guilty, his lack of conscience i.e. “being able to look in the mirror” and his refugee status in no way nullifies his crimes at the end of the day and “letting him just make it” is not going to be an option, no matter what dream world you live in.
Just one to make the point clear here. There are many Vietnamese Refugees who are very successful and do not need to earn $80 from junkies to make a living. So Mr. 2nd Actual Patient, get the point.
Actualpatient- it’s not hard to put the pieces together. As a medical student myself, one of the things you focus on most is patient care. The enormous amount of patients that they were seeing is impossible to provide the best care for any patient. So greed plays a major factor in this case . Agree? The State Board should have done a thorough investigation after patients were overdosing under his care.
. To be honest, Valium is not uncommon drug for family physician to prescribed. It’s used widely in a lot of hospital facilities and hospice care.
I understand your point of convenience for keep coming back. I didn’t ask the question to be rude in anyway. I was just curious
Actualpatient2- Yes, I am Vietnamese and my parents came here as refugees struggling to make ends meet. Just because I’m Vietnamese, doesn’t mean that I have to defend criminals of my own race. If I was greedy, I would have stayed at my old job earning a nice six figure income. I find that the business world is very brutal and decided that it wasn’t for me. I earned a Bachelor degree in Business at the age of 22. I worked in the field for 3 years and decided that if wasn’t for me. My parents taught me very well thank you and I plan on being a a wonderful doctor that will follow protocol when I write a prescription. Call me what you want, Miss know it all….hmmm I am starting to dig that name. Next year it will be Dr. Know it all to you! Another thing I have to agree with you is that you said, “if dr. trieu can look at himself in the mirror and decide if he is doing more good than bad…and if if can do that then let him make it. Sad to say he has to look at himself in the mirror locked up in a jail cell.
ActualPatient2, both doctors and their next-door pharmacist are guilty. The wife may be able to get a lesser charge of a co-conspiracy. However, she is definitely involved in this whole shameful act of overusing their prescribing power and misguided by their ravenous desire for money. You mentioned the doctor and his family are victims of the war … please don’t even bring it up here. He and his family is not the only one whose life is in effect of the war. There are other thousands or millions Vietnamese families are also effected by this. You once dated a family member of this doctor and know this family doesn’t mean they don’t violate the law. Knowing them just means it’s easier for you get your Xanax. The CURES system certainly will track down your “favorite” doctors one way or another. Good luck with finding new doctor for …Xanax, or should I say Vicodin, Norco, Ambien, Fioricet, Tussionex ….
ok, ok yea i said i wasnt gona argue with fools cause people from a distance cant tell whose who…i couldnt help myself I am all the way in la cuidad de puerta la cruz on the beautiful caribean, at work, well will be pronto en la manana(in fact just came off my boat after enjoying a quick joyride a las islas del palmas.. where should I begin(ah ha, ) (NETRESS- ima get kickt off the site 2nite)SHUT YA DICK SUCKER you dont know shit and you are broke..BROKE broke biych i dont take pain killers for one, if i wanted to im in hugo chavez country n dont need no fukin script..i have asthma and almost died as an adolescent from pulmonary problems but what ever cumguzzler Trieu is free for a min. at least(i know ya’ll hate i hear it through your keyboards)I thought there in us ofA it was poised(spell check actual) to be inn0cent til PrOVeN guilty..crock of shit.I been there done that In fact humiliated the ssame federal court with a lil help fom a prominent GPT attorney, thats neither here nor there..u will never understand the sress of that and as stupid as you ALL are i would never wish what i been through on any1..taking on the feds?!?..damn near immpossibhle(
) but i won thanks to over $20,000 in legaL FEES AND FINES(bribes legally taken by judges laweyers and other rich bigshotdicks) I guarantee each of ya’ll wouldn’t have the strength faith courage and in most cases money to do it. so fuk off..what i do i pay for No silver spoons here unless i bought them shits at the silver deposit.
other fuks on here get a life 4 real.. kill ya selves and get a life u might be a buddhist medstudent miss know it all.. aint nobody lookin in no tin jail mirrors tonight baby. That is the problem with u youngsters u forget where u come from and how u got there,me never..Im a 3rd coast cajun big mouth that only care bout those LOYAL to me..LOyalty youngin look it up..,u say its fair for these cracker fukers to shit on somebody at the expense of your own heritage and race GOD BLESS..truthfully u aint viet and its obvious..Biloxi has a culral viet community and 1 thimg rather u agree with their politics or practices THEY dont talk to police, agents , or wish their own bad fortune..ya head is too big, but i’ll go a lil easy on u cuz u young and at least trying to be something, make something unlike these others that arent viet and jus wanna find fault in some1 else
(except refuge) here we go again..ya gay ass dick suker you..tlkin bout the success rates without chargin junkies $80 the only sucess u ever see when u suk the shit out ya homo bf dick. u r a trick to the system and need to be shot on sight FUCKING TRADER. WOULDNT SAY SHIT UNLESS U WERE IN THAT SAFE COMPUTER ROOM CUZ THE VIETS i know would kick ur snitchin teeeth in
and to my favorite critic actual y do it seem that ur attitude changed? did i caLL u out must be a lazy fat too ugly to get a man ass interneter benzo addict- well they say that 1 in 20 americans are DO YA THING
sorry to all the family of both docs and trans thy’d be embarrassed by my harsh words, they are very meek people and would never speak in this way MY VIEWS REPRESENT NONE OF THEIR non violent tolerant points of view.
as a good catholic, well good is in the eyes of the, well, ME.. i gotta sy u should all pray to one day be able to walk in a path that extracts u from judgemental error, such as such conviction and confidents in ouyr penial system…at least 1 of u will fall victim, as sure as i can talk shit..Im sure yall got probs with that too,even though it is the 1st ammendment in the constitution that is so unquestionably right(in your blind eyes only)
Its over for now every1′s home- haTE ON one day u’ll c the forrest cause all the trees are gettin cut as we type..
to all self righteous dicks..FUCK OFF yall wanna c someone incarcerated so bad?!? U DO IT! yalls aint got shit to do anyways but play on the computer with ya;ll fatass fingers. ONLY GOD MAY JUDGE UGLY, cause if i could yall’d all be in hell
PEACE wont c meno more say good bye to da bad guy like pacino faggots and gluts
and a rapist aint shit but a ugly coward fuk you too fuk u 1st bitch
I thought about deleting “2nd actual patient”‘s abusive comments, but decided instead to leave it in place as a monument to human spitefulness.
2ndactual,
You said you werent going to come back on for a couple weeks because you would be far away…WHAT? What difference could it possibly make where you are? This is the internet for Gods sake. I only made it through the first couple lines of what looks to be a drug induced rant you posted. Please get some help. I know you lied about almost everything, I just pray you lied about having a child. (Inbreeding is such a problem with you people)
Medical Student,
I understand what you meant when you asked me why I went back, I’m not ashamed that I did (even if I was, this is annonomous anyway). I know what you mean by the sheer volume of patients, and like you I believe someone dropped the ball by not investigating sooner. What are the other students you go to school with saying? How about your professors? Is it just me or is this whole thing COMPLETELY UNPRECEDENTED? I can’t recall any cases like this, in any state, if you know of any, please post back. I guess you take a lot of classes on medical ethics and laws, is everyone shocked that he thought he could get away with this? I was, still am. He isn’t a fool, he’s a likable enough man as well as good looking, he had so much going for him, and yes I suppose greed is the reason why but, no matter how greedy he is, he couldn’t have thought he would get away with it. Noway was he that stupid. Something just seems to be missing.
This is purely a hypothetical but, the only way I would do something like that is if I thought I had someone protecting me, someone from the state board, DEA or some politician in my pocket, conspiring with me. But even a crook on the state board wouldn’t be able to protect me from the feds, right? I am baffled, am I the only one?
Maybe, (as I thought before the raid), he figured to be busted and merely stripped of his license. That does happen often right?
P.S. As I said before, there were DEA agents (not undercover) in the office and the pharmacy on May the 8th (and maybe on other dates before the raid). Does anyone know why? I’m sure anyone close to the families would know, please post if you do.
Jeez,
I just tried to get through some more of 2ndactual’s rant and I know I shouldn’t, but I HAVE to respond to something I hear a lot. Innocent until proven guilty. There is no such thing. I know it’s just semantics, but I’ve grown sick of hearing it. In America, a SUSPECT is considered innocent UNLESS proven guilty, IN A COURT OF LAW. By a judge, an attorney and 12 jurors. The rest of the world can think what they want. The fact that he’s a suspect is evidence that the police considere him guilty. The prosecutor is required to consider him guilty! The word UNTIL implies it’s only a matter of time, (and in this case it may apply) And if anyone believes a person can actually commit a crime and at the same time, still be innocent of that crime, until he is PROVEN guilty, is a moron who should just go ahead drink THE WHOLE BOTTLE of cough syrup already, chase it with mee maws moonshine, and say goodnight to his sister once and for all.