Doctors, chiropractor get trial date in drug case

By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A trial for two doctors and a chiropractor accused of illegally distributing thousands of dollars worth of OxyContin has been scheduled for April 10.
Physicians Philip Wagman, William Mangino II and chiropractor Thomas Wilkins were arrested in September 2004 after indictments were handed down by the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. All three face numerous drug, fraud and conspiracy charges.
According to court papers, the men saw as many as 100 patients a day at Work Med Chiro Med on West State Street until law enforcement officials raided their offices in October 2003. Patients would first see Wilkins for a $25 fee and then be permitted to see Wagman or Mangino for a $40 fee. Most left with prescriptions for OxyContin and other prescription narcotics, court papers said.
At the height of their partnership, the doctors bragged that they put $50,000 worth of OxyContin on the streets of New Castle each day, according to former Pennsylvania Attorney General Jerry Pappert.
The arrests
Wilkins and Mangino were arrested shortly after they were indicted. Authorities arrested Wagman about a month later in Medina County, Ohio. Medina authorities said they found more than $13,000 in cash, guns and the book "Hide Your Assets and Disappear: The Step by Step Guide on How to Disappear Without a Trace" on Wagman when he was arrested.
According to a court order handed down last week, there will be one trial for all three doctors before Lawrence County Common Pleas Court Judge J. Craig Cox.
cioffi@vindy.com