Woman who owned pill mill gets year in prison

DETROIT (AP) - An 87-year-old Ypsilanti woman who hired doctors to peddle dangerous drugs has been sentenced to about a year in prison.

Detroit federal Judge Arthur Tarnow on Wednesday ordered one year and one day imprisonment for Lillian Meghnot. The sentence included about $40,000 in restitution and three years of supervised release.

Meghnot's husband ran a corrupt medical office near Ann Arbor. She took over after his death in 2011 and admits she conspired with doctors to sell illegal prescriptions for powerful opioids. Meghnot has said she made a "great big mistake."

Sentencing guidelines called for a prison sentence of at least 17 ½ years. Prosecutors recommended just two years because of relatively light sentences already given to two doctors who were co-defendants.

Meghnot sought a year of home confinement.

Published: Fri, May 04, 2018