United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MIAMI – Dr. Marta Elena Farinas, 48, of Miami, was arrested on May 7, 2019, at her clinic, the Pinecrest Medical Group, located at 15715 S. Dixie Highway, #219, Miami, Fla., on state charges of conspiracy to dispense controlled substances, delivery of controlled substances and manslaughter. An investigation has revealed that Dr. Farinas has been prescribing controlled substances in bad faith, for no legitimate medical purposes and outside the usual course of professional practice.

As alleged in the indictment, on March 13, 2018, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a death investigation at the home of Leigh Anne Milazzo in Key Largo, Fla., where she was found dead. Deputies and detectives found a prescription bottle of oxycodone prescribed by Dr. Farinas on her nightstand that had been filled the day before her overdose. The Monroe County SO medical examiner’s final report listed the cause of death to be mixed drug toxicity of alprazolam and oxycodone.

On May 5, 2018, Dr. Farinas called the Miami-Dade Police Department to report her boyfriend was unresponsive, possibly due to an opioid overdose. Miami-Dade PD detectives responded to the home of Dr. Farinas in Miami where they found Keenan L. Sigler unresponsive. After questioning, Dr. Farinas revealed that she was Sigler’s doctor and had prescribed him Percocet (a combination of acetaminophen and oxycodone). She stated he may have taken other narcotics in addition. Detectives noted that at the time, Dr. Farinas had slurred speech and appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic. On that same day, Sigler died of a multi drug overdose.

The investigation further revealed that Dr. Farinas prescribed 60 to 180 opioid pills on a monthly basis, and often, more than once within a 30 day period. From June 2017 through January 2018, Dr. Farinas prescribed a total 2,665 opioid pills. From evidence gathered, the investigation also revealed that Dr. Farinas is an addict herself. When she prescribed a large number of narcotic pills to her patients, she would ask them to give her a portion of those prescribed pills to satisfy her own addiction.   

Expert analysis has concluded that the prescriptions issued by Dr. Farinas were outside the usual course of professional practice of medicine and were without legitimate medical purpose. 

This investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Division, the Monroe County SO and the Miami-Dade PD. It is being prosecuted by the Florida Attorney General Office of Statewide Prosecution.

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