An indictment unsealed on Thursday, October 22, charges five individuals with conspiracy to illegally distribute prescription controlled substances and related drug and money-laundering offences, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced in Detroit.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

Those charged are Clara Wilkerson, 65, formerly of Bloomfield Hills; Latanya Wallace-Hardiman, 53, of Detroit; Dr. Luis Rodriguez, 53, of Orlando, Florida; Dr. Nayantara Jnananand, 59, of Plymouth; and Dr. Prashanti Franklin, 49, of Okemos, according to the Justice Department. Wilkerson is a former Detroit television reporter and broadcaster, The Detroit News reported.

The indictment alleges that from 2018 through September 2024, Wilkerson used her companies, CRW Worldwide, LLC and CRW Development, Inc., to recruit and pay doctors to illegally prescribe controlled substances at fraudulent medical clinics. Wallace-Hardiman owned and operated one clinic, the Woodward Boulevard Medical Building in Detroit, prosecutors allege.

2.4 million+dosage units alleged across two clinics
$14.6 million+alleged street value
$250-$500alleged cash fee per patient visit

Prosecutors allege the Detroit clinic was a cash-only operation where patients paid $250 to $500 in cash for a visit that resulted in a prescription for requested opiate pain medication, including Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Hydrocodone-acetaminophen and Oxycodone-acetaminophen. Doctors at that clinic issued prescriptions for more than 500,000 dosage units worth more than $4.6 million on the street market during 2021-2024, and doctors at another clinic, P & A Aftercare, issued more than 1.9 million dosage units worth more than $10 million, the indictment alleges.

Wilkerson and Wallace-Hardiman are also charged with a money-laundering conspiracy and specific money-laundering counts. The maximum term for the drug conspiracy and related drug offences is 20 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine on each count, according to the Justice Department. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and IRS Criminal Investigation. An indictment is only a charge. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.