• Chicago gets first 'Public Enemy No. 1' since Al Capone: Mexican cartel kingpin

    Damian Dovarganes /AP, file

    Drug lord Joaquin Guzman is seen in a June 10, 1993 file photo.

    By Michael Tarm, The Associated Press

    Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is being singled out for his role as leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, which supplies the bulk of narcotics sold in the city, according to the Chicago Crime Commission and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 

    "Not since the Chicago Crime Commission's first Public Enemy No. 1 has any criminal deserved this title more than Joaquin Guzman," J.R. Davis, president of 94-year-old Chicago Crime Commission, said in remarks prepared for an announcement later Thursday. 

    It was the Chicago Crime Commission that designated Capone Public Enemy No. 1 in 1930. The non-government body that tracks city crime trends called other people public enemies, but Capone was the only one to ever be its No. 1. 

    Until now. 

    Unlike Capone, Guzman doesn't live in Chicago. He lives hundreds of miles away in a mountain hideaway in western Mexico. But for all the havoc he creates in the nation's third-largest city, he ought to be treated as a local Chicago crime boss, the DEA's top Chicago official, Jack Riley, told The Associated Press in a recent interview. His office is joining the Chicago Crime Commission in handing out the moniker to Guzman. 

    "In my opinion, Guzman is the new Al Capone of Chicago," Riley says in remarks prepared for Thursday. 

    More ruthless than Capone?
    Capone based his bootlegging and other criminal enterprises out of Chicago during Prohibition, when it was illegal to make or sell alcohol in the U.S. He eventually went to prison for income tax evasion, but he gained the most notoriety for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre 84 years ago that left seven rivals dead. 

    Yet Riley says Guzman is more ruthless than Capone. 

    "If I was to put those two guys in a ring, El Chapo would eat that guy (Capone) alive," Riley said while pointing to pictures of the men in his office. 

    Sinaloa and other Mexican cartels shipping drugs to Chicago are rarely directly linked to slayings in the city, but Riley said cartel-led drug trafficking is an underlying cause of territorial battles between street gangs that are blamed for rising homicide rates. Riley described Chicago as one of Sinaloa's most important cities, not only as an end destination for drugs but as a hub to distribute drugs across the U.S. 

    "This is where Guzman turns his drugs into money," he said. 

    Despite his nickname — "El Chapo" means "shorty" in Spanish — Guzman is one of the world's most dangerous and most wanted outlaws. He's also one of the richest: Forbes magazine has estimated the value of his fortune at around $1 billion. 

    Guzman has been indicted on federal trafficking charges in Chicago and, if he is ever captured alive, U.S. officials want him extradited here to face trial. The U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward for his capture. 

    "His time is coming," Guzman said. "I can't wait for that day." 

    © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Five-time wing-eating champ, 'El Wingador,' faces cocaine charges

    By Vignesh Ramachandran, Staff Writer, NBC News

    Matt Rourke / AP

    In this Feb. 4, 2011 photo, Bill "El Wingador" Simmons, left, embraces the winner of that year's Wing Bowl in Philadelphia, who won by a margin of a single wing. Simmons was reportedly indicted on cocaine charges this week.

    A New Jersey man known as "El Wingador" for his championship titles in competitive wing-eating has been formally indicted this week on cocaine charges, local media reported.

    Bill "El Wingador" Simmons was charged with multiple counts of possession and distribution of cocaine, the South Jersey Times reported. Simmons is known for his participation in a Philadelphia chicken wing eating contest known as the "Wing Bowl," organized each year before the Super Bowl by a local sports radio station.

    Simmons, a 50-year-old Woodbury, N.J., resident, had been arrested last June and authorities recovered $8,000 worth of cocaine and $4,000 of cash, The Associated Press reported. Police told the AP they also found more evidence at two homes connected to the wing-eating champ.

    A five-time winner, Simmons last won the Wing Bowl in 2005 for eating 162 chicken wings, according to the AP.


    The Wing Bowl has become a sort of tradition in Philadelphia on the Friday preceding each Super Bowl, since its founding by a local 94WIP radio host in 1993.

    Last year, the eating competition attracted 29 contestants and over 20,000 fans, according to the event site. This year's 21st competition was held Friday at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center, in advance of Super Bowl Sunday.

  • Florida tow-truck driver arrested on drug charge after pocket-dialing 911

    Courtesy Volusia County Sheriff

    Authorities say tow truck driver Matthew Dollarhide, 19, pocket-dialed 911 while he was talking about selling drugs with two passengers. Police later arrested and charged Dollarhide with drug paraphernalia possession.

    By NBCMiami.com

    A conversation with two passengers landed an Orange City, Fla., tow truck driver in jail after his cell phone pocket-dialed 911 and dispatchers listened in.


    Authorities say 19-year-old Matthew Dollarhide was surprised when a Volusia County Sheriff's deputy pulled him over on Tuesday and asked why they were talking about selling drugs.

    The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports deputies were alerted at 9:42 p.m. local time Tuesday and sent to a location where dispatchers said the phone signal was coming from.

    From the conversation, dispatchers learned that they were driving a tow truck and heard the name "Harry." Deputies pulled over a "Harry's Towing" truck moments later.

    Deputies found a crack pipe on Dollarhide. He was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. He told police the pipe belonged to his father.

    Also on NBCMiami.com: State senator, local sheriff's office seek ban on texting and driving

  • Connecticut priest accused of selling meth may have bought adult shop with drug money

    By LeAnne Gendreau, NBCConnecticut.com

    A former Connecticut priest who was charged in a federal crystal meth case sold the drug out of his Waterbury apartment, as well as the parking lot of an adult specialty store and smoke shop that he bought in the fall, according to court documents. 


    Investigators believe that Msg. Kevin Wallin, 61, bought the store with drug proceeds and might have intended to use it to launder drug money, according to the complaint.

    Drug Enforcement Agents in New Haven started investigating Wallin in July 2012 after New York drug investigators contacted them to look into a Connecticut-based drug trafficker distributing crystal meth in the tri-state are.

    In September, New York authorities again contacted local officials and identified Wallin as a suspect in the distribution ring.

    Between September 2012 and January 2013, an undercover officer bought crystal meth from Wallin six times, according to federal officials, and determined that Wallin sold drugs to users as well as distributors.

    Read more on NBCConnecticut.com.

    The documents released on Thursday state that the priest had a large resealable bag filled with crystal meth, a safe in his apartment that contained a large quantity and cash and drug packaging materials that included color-coded resealable bags.

    Officials also charged Kenneth Devries, 52, of Waterbury, with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

    Devries lived in an apartment in the same building as Wallin. According to court documents, Wallin paid his rent and the man would allegedly run the drug operation when Wallin was away.   

    Officials also charged Michael Nelson, 40, from Manchester; Chad McCluskey, 43, from San Clemente, Calif.; and Kristen Laschober, 47, from Laguna Niguel, Calif..

    McCluskey and Laschober are accused of supplying the drugs to Wallin, and court documents indicate that almost $20,000 worth of crystal meth passed between them between August and December.    

    The complaint also mentions that Wallin spent some time in drug rehabilitation last fall after his employer ordered him.

    Wallin resigned as pastor of Bridgeport's St. Augustine Parish in June 2011 after nine years. 

    According to the Diocese of Bridgeport, Wallin told parishioners "that he was struggling with a number of health and personal issues" and he was granted a sabbatical.

    "During his sabbatical, the Diocese became concerned about Msgr. Wallin's well-being and have continued to reach out to him," the diocese wrote in a statement. "To date, he has not spoken directly with diocesan officials."

  • Miami police officer guilty of planting drugs, stealing from dealers

    View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com.

    By Juan Ortega, NBCMiami.com

    A Miami police sergeant who authorities say planted cocaine on a suspect and stole drugs and money from dealers has been convicted of civil rights violations, narcotics distribution conspiracy and obstruction of justice, the United States Attorney's Office said Friday.

    Raul Iglesias, 40, who was with the Miami Police Department for 18 years, was found guilty by a jury after a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga, the Attorney's Office said.

    "A law enforcement badge brings with it privileges and responsibilities," U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said in a statement. "Although it bestows on the bearer the trust and respect of the community, the bearer is expected to preserve that trust through his actions: by following the law, doing what is right, and seeking to do justice."

    Ferrer said that Iglesias "did just the opposite: he broke the law by planting drugs on a private citizen, distributing drugs, obstructing justice, and making false statements."

    Iglesias ran the Central District's Crime Suppression unit, which targeted drug traffickers. Rick Diaz, the attorney who represented Iglesias, had defended his client, accusing undercover detectives and FBI agents of setting up Iglesias by planting incriminating evidence on him in a sting.

    Read more news on NBCMiami.com

    An indictment cited at least four dates when Iglesias allegedly stole or planted drugs, or lied to investigators. One date was Jan. 27, 2010, when Iglesias allegedly ordered two of his officers to search a man, and when no drugs were found, Iglesias allegedly asked his officers for some "throw-down dope" to plant on the man.

    Iglesias was convicted of eight counts, including two civil rights violations, conspiracy to possess and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, obstruction of justice and making false official statements, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

    Iglesias' sentencing is scheduled for March 28. He faces a maximum of up to 20 years in prison.

  • 'Compassionate priest' indicted in crystal meth case

    By Emily Feldman, NBCConnecticut.com

    A priest is among five people indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney's office said Wednesday.

    Monsignor Kevin Wallin, who resigned as pastor of St. Augustine Parish in Bridgeport, Conn., in June 2011, was arrested Jan. 3. He was charged with six counts of possession with intent to distribute crystal meth. 

    According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Wallin is accused of receiving shipments of crystal meth from a California distributor and selling it to an undercover officer six times between September 2012 and January 2013.

    If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $2 million.

    According to the Diocese of Bridgeport, Wallin, 61, resigned from his post after nine years, telling parishioners "that he was struggling with a number of health and personal issues" and he was granted a sabbatical.

    "During his sabbatical, the diocese became concerned about Msgr. Wallin's wellbeing and have continued to reach out to him," the diocese said in a statement. "To date, he has not spoken directly with diocesan officials."

    More news from NBCConnecticut.com

    The statement described Wallin as "a gifted, accomplished and compassionate priest," adding that his arrest comes with "a sense of shock and concern."

    Kenneth Devries, a 52-year-old from Waterbury, Conn.; Michael Neslon, 40, from Manchester, Conn.; Chad McCluskey, 43, from San Clemente, Calif.; and Kristen Laschober, 47, from Laguna Niguel, Calif., were also arrested in connection to the alleged drug ring.

  • In Los Angeles, advocates push dueling medical marijuana measures

    Reed Saxon / AP file

    "Budista" Angela Nagel assists a client at the Starbudz medical marijuana dispensary in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles on May 5, 2010.

    By Kari Huus, NBC News

    In Los Angeles, where pot dispensaries have proliferated despite city lawmakers' efforts to regulate or ban them, advocates for medical marijuana have taken the initiative to rein them in — with two groups putting forward rival ballot initiatives to manage the budding industry.

    Los Angeles City Council in October reversed a ban on the pot shops — which they had passed less than three months earlier after activists mounted lawsuits and gathered tens of thousands of signatures opposing it. The lawmakers have been slow to draft alternative plans for the pot industry so medical marijuana advocates have stepped in.

    An initiative that qualified for the ballot on Friday, after gathering tens of thousands of signatures, proposes that all comers are allowed to enter the business of selling medical cannabis — but only if they pass a background check and meet strict operating and zoning requirements. The measure would also hike taxes on medical marijuana sales by 20 percent to cover the cost to the city for regulation.

     


    The current tax is $50 per $1,000 of gross receipts, and the increase would bump it up to $60 per $1,000 of gross receipts.

    That measure is pitted against a medical marijuana initiative that qualified for the ballot just two days earlier — one that would force all the city's marijuana dispensaries to close down except about 100 that were set up before Sept. 2007, when the city imposed a moratorium on new shops.

    In the face of vociferous opposition, the city council did not enforce the moratorium, instead letting it expire. The number of cannabis shops soared to an estimated 700 to 1,000 in 2012. They range in size from tiny mom-and-pop shops to large multi-million dollar businesses, the Los Angeles Times reported. Police say some are squeaky-clean outlets providing relief to desperately ill patients, while others are magnets for crime with a toxic mix of cash and narcotics, with a negative impact on neighborhoods.

    Regulating medical marijuana has been complicated by lawsuits and the push-pull between federal and state laws.

    Under California law it is legal to obtain medical marijuana and the court has ruled it is legal for the medical dispensaries to sell it.  But under federal law marijuana is a controlled substance, illegal to possess and sell. If California issues licenses to pot sellers, even if it's in an effort to limit their numbers, it may be in violation of federal law.

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    David Welch is a Los Angeles attorney advocating for Angelenos for Safe Access, which gathered more than 73,000 petition signatures to get their initiative qualified for the ballot on Friday. He says that the proposed zoning — designed to keep pot sales at a specified distance from schools, parks, churches, substance abuse facilities and other designated sites — would naturally limit the number of dispensaries to about 150. The proposal also calls for background checks for dispensary operators, prescribed operating hours and higher taxes.

    "Currently there is no regulation so that’s why there is proliferation. Our goal is to have good operators stay in business," said Welch. "It would put out 70-85 percent of the dispensaries operating out of business."

    This ballot measure, "Regulation of Medical Marijuana for Safe Neighborhoods and Safe Access" is backed by many of the dispensaries that have opened since the 2007 moratorium.

    The competing initiative, called the "Medical Marijuana Collectives Initiative Ordinance" would grandfather in about 100 medical marijuana dispensaries set up prior to the 2007 moratorium, and bar all others. It would also add restrictions on hours of operation and location.

    Los Angeles residents will have a chance to vote on the proposals in municipal elections in May, according to the Los Angeles Times.

    The new ballot drives have "forced our hand," City Councilman Paul Koretz  told the Times.

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  • Cash, guns, $34,000-worth of cocaine seized from Conn. home

    View more videos at: http://nbcconnecticut.com.

    By Debra Bogstie, NBCConnecticut.com

    A Connecticut man was arrested Thursday afternoon when police found drugs, guns and cash in his home after responding to a routine medical call.

    When officers arrived at 4 McDonald Avenue in Cromwell, they discovered Michael Marotta, 28, was in possession of prescription medication that did not belong to him.

    After obtaining a search warrant, authorities also found $34,000-worth of cocaine, $2,385 in cash, three handguns, three shotguns, two rifles, a Taser and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to police.

    Read more news on NBCConnecticut.com


    Authorities also found supplies used for the manufacturing, packaging and transportation of narcotics, according to police.

    "It's really disturbing. I mean, you don't know who lives near you," said one neighbor who asked not to be identified.

    Police arrested Marotta and charged him with operating a drug factory, illegal possession, possession with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

    He was arraigned on the charges Friday in Middletown Superior Court, according to police.

  • Disturbing Navy PSA depicts horrors of 'bath salts'

    Navy officials say a new ad aimed at a designer drug call bath salts was produced after an alarming spike in its use by sailors in 2012, but some are calling the video over the top. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

    By Eun Kyung Kim, TODAY contributor

    The Navy is hoping that a disturbing public service announcement will scare people away from “bath salts” -- deadly chemicals with a seemingly innocent name that are plaguing its sailors.

    The 6-minute PSA, “Bath Salts: It’s Not a Fad, It’s a Nightmare,” is filmed from a first-person perspective. It documents a young man’s bizarre, erratic behavior after snorting the synthetic drug (which is labeled “bath salts” in an attempt to sidestep drug laws, but has no relationship to real bath salts) and the terrifying psychotic visions he experiences. The man reacts to his concerned girlfriend with paranoia and violence, and his hallucinations include seeing everyone turn demonic.

    The video later shows the solider rushed into a hospital, subdued only after the use of restraints and sedation.

    “Bath salts will not only jack up your family and your career, it will jack up your mind and your body too,” explains Lt. George Loeffler, a Naval psychiatry resident, in the PSA.

    Like methamphetamine, bath salts are synthetically concocted in a lab. They are banned by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.  

    “When people are using bath salts, they're not their normal selves. They're angrier. They're erratic. They're violent and they’re unpredictable,” Loeffler says.

    The Navy created the video after dealing with an alarming spike in the use of the designer drug by sailors last year. It began randomly testing soldiers this week, searching specifically for evidence of the use of bath salts.

    The PSA has gone viral since it was released on the Internet two weeks ago. While some have criticized it as a shock video, medical experts say the depiction is realistic.

    “My impression of the PSA was that, I'm sure some people think that it may have been exaggerated, it may be uncomfortable for some people to watch, but it's accurate,” said Mark Ryan, the director of Louisiana's poison center.

    Although bath salts are banned nationally, authorities say there are many variations of the drug and enforcement has been difficult.

    The Navy’s response to combating drug use comes as another military branch deals with an increase in suicides. The Defense Department reported this week that more soldiers took their own lives than died in combat last year. Through November, 177 active-duty soldiers had committed suicide compared to 165 during all of 2011 and 156 in 2010. In all of 2012, 176 soldiers were killed in action.

    More:

    Military cracks down on alcohol abuse

    Soldier suicides outpaced combat deaths in 2012

    Fewer homeless vets in 2012, but advocacy group sees 'alarming' trend

    'Golden-voiced' Ted Williams reveals foundation to help homeless

  • Obama on pot laws: 'We've got bigger fish to fry'

    Nick Adams / Reuters

    Marijuana is broken up for use by customers at Frankie Sports Bar and Grill in Olympia, Wash., on Sunday.

    By Tracy Connor, NBC News

    Pot smokers in Washington and Colorado are inhaling a little easier after President Barack Obama said the federal government has more important things to do than go after "recreational" drug users in states that legalize marijuana.


    "We've got bigger fish to fry," Obama told ABC News' Barbara Walters.

    He was weighing in on the issue for the first time since voters in the two states approved initiatives to legalize the recreational use of marijuana – which is still a crime under federal law.

    Obama admitted this disconnect between federal and local laws had put him in a tough spot.

    "I head up the executive branch. We're supposed to be carrying out laws," he said. "And so what we're going to need to have is a conversation about how do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana is a federal offense and state laws that say that it's legal?"

    The Justice Department is still looking into how to handle the conflict. But in the meantime, Obama suggested, the feds aren't gearing up for what might be a costly, unpopular crackdown on tokers in Colorado and Washington.

    Related: Americans to feds -- Keep your hands off our pot

    "You've seen the voters speak on this issue. And as it is, the federal government has a lot to do when it comes to criminal prosecutions," he said.

    "It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it's legal."

    The president’s comments on the new Colorado and Washington laws echo the stand he took on medical marijuana during the 2008 campaign, when he said prosecutions would be a low priority.

    Related: So where will all that 'legal' pot come from?

    Two years later, though, federal authorities toughened up that stance, announcing that dispensaries and growers in 18 states that have legalized medical marijuana could be charged with violating drug and money-laundering laws. Dozens of medical marijuana collectives have been ordered shut since then.

    Washington State's new law makes it legal for adults to possess up to one ounce of marijuana, but some speculate the federal government will prosecute those who use marijuana on federal land because federal law prohibits marijuana use. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports.

    Federal prosecutors have not sounded as relaxed as Obama about new state legalization efforts.

    Hours before the law in her state went into effect, the U.S. attorney in Washington, Jenny Durkan, issued a warning that "growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law."

    Related: Like Amsterdam, Washington bar owner lets patrons get stoned

    Ezra Klein explains how reclassifying marijuana to a lesser category can reduce some of the tension between federal law prohibiting the drug and new state laws allowing its use medicinally or in small quantities.

    Obama – who revealed in his 1995 memoir that he was a regular pot smoker in high school -- said he doesn't back wider legalization of marijuana "at this point." And he wanted to nip in the bud any suggestion that he's pro-weed.

    "There are a bunch of things I did that I regret when I was a kid," Obama said in excerpts of the interview, which airs Friday on "20/20."

    "My attitude is, substance abuse generally is not good for our kids, not good for our society," he said. "I want to discourage drug use."

    Related: Feds fire warning shot over pot legalization

    Obama was frank about his youthful drug use in his best-selling book, "Dreams from My Father."

    "I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years. Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though," he wrote.

    "Junkie. Pothead. That's where I'd been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man."

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  • Feds: US seizes Texas condo owned by Mexican governor wanted over drugs

    Daniel Aguilar / Reuters, file

    Tomas Yarrington, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, seen in Mexico City May 23, 2005, is a fugitive over suspicions he aided drug traffickers.

    By Reuters

    MCALLEN, Texas -- The U.S. government seized a luxury Texas condominium purportedly owned by a fugitive former Mexican governor wanted on suspicion of aiding drug traffickers, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

    Federal prosecutors for the southern district of Texas said the $640,000 condominium on South Padre Island is owned by the former governor of Mexico's Tamaulipas state, Tomas Yarrington, also the former national leader of Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI.

    Prosecutors allege that the property was purchased with money that came from Mexican drug traffickers.

    'Unique' smuggling attempt: $42,500-worth of marijuana shot into Ariz. by cannon

    Yarrington served as governor of Tamaulipas from 1999 to 2004 and unsuccessfully ran for president in 2005. Before that, he was mayor of Matamoros, the U.S.-Mexican border hometown of the Gulf Cartel, once one of that country's dominant drug-trafficking gangs.

    In June, Yarrington denied the allegations against him in the United States, although he has still not come forward to face a warrant issued for his arrest in Mexico in August.

    As protesters clashed, incoming Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said he aims to reduce drug-related violence, which has killed more than 60,000 people in the last six years. NBC's Lester Holt has more.

    Senior PRI politicians say in private Yarrington could end up behind bars to show the party is serious about fighting corruption.

    On Monday, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos granted the government's motion to take full possession of the condo, sell it and pay off taxes and homeowners' association fees owed, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.

    The government expects to sell the property at a public auction "in the near future."

    A civil forfeiture complaint alleges that Napoleon Rodriguez, a business associate of Yarrington, made a straw purchase of the condo in 1998 so the politician would avoid attention from U.S. authorities.


    Mexico's new president takes office -- 'establishment guy' returns PRI to power

    Court records show Yarrington began investing millions from drug-trafficking kickbacks in various properties in Mexico and Texas after he left public office, prosecutors said.

    Rodriguez is currently in custody in Mexico.

    The case against Yarrington, who was suspended in May from the PRI, emerged ahead of Mexico's presidential election in July as the centrist party attempted to shed its reputation for graft.

    Mexico seeks to pivot relationship with US as new president takes office

    The PRI ruled Mexico from 1929 to 2000, and returned to power earlier this month after the election of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

    Pena Nieto has vowed to fight organized crime and end the drug violence that claimed more than 60,000 lives during the term of former president Felipe Calderon.

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  • NYC doctor accused of manslaughter over patients' overdose deaths

    View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

    By The Associated Press

    NEW YORK -- A New York City doctor who wrote prescriptions for a man who killed four people in a pharmacy robbery was hit Thursday with manslaughter charges that accuse him of causing the overdose deaths of two patients. 

    Dr. Stan Li already had been accused of prescribing prescription drugs to addicts.

    Li prescribed more than 500 pills to a 21-year-old man in the five weeks leading up the discovery of his body in a parked car in Queens in 2010, authorities said.


    The cause of death was acute intoxication caused by a combination of Xanax and oxycodone. 

    'Do no harm'
    Authorities said they believe it's the first time a physician has been charged in New York with manslaughter in an overdose death. 

    "Dr. Li flouted the fundamental principle in medicine -- first, do no harm," Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said in a statement announcing the indictment. 

     Read more US stories from NBC News

    Li, of Hamilton, N.J., appeared in court Thursday.

    The 58-year-old Li has previously pleaded not guilty to peddling prescriptions to addicts and drug dealers from a Queens weekend clinic where he saw as many as 120 patients a day, moonlighting from his full-time job as an anesthesiologist at a New Jersey hospital.

    One of Li's patients, David Laffer, shot and killed two employees and two customers while holding up a Long Island pharmacy for painkillers in June 2011. Authorities have said that Li provided 24 prescriptions filled by Laffer.

    Laffer is serving a life sentence for murder.

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    © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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