Man who ran drug-treatment facilities in Ironton and Portsmouth, Ohio, is indicted on drug-trafficking charges

Graffiti under the U.S. Grant Bridge in Portsmouth, Ohio
(Cincinnati Enquirer photo by Liz Dufour)

The former operator of Ohio drug-treatment facilities just across the river from northeastern Kentucky was indicted Wednesday on 34 felony counts ranging from drug trafficking to Medicaid fraud.

Paul Vernier, 56, operated Community Counseling and Treatment Services in Ironton and Portsmouth, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He is accused of overbilling Medicaid and illegally operating a dispensary for Suboxone, a drug used in medication-assisted treatment for addiction.

“The evidence will show that this guy abused the trust of hurting people who were looking for help and that he played the rest of us – who pay the bills – for fools,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a press release. “Time for some accountability.”