Illinois man is the ninth doctor to be sentenced in an anti-illegal prescription operation An Illinois doctor was sentenced Thursday to more than three years in prison for illegally prescribing drugs over the Internet, the U.S. Department of Justice said.Michael Millette, 46, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, is the ninth doctor to be sentenced in an Internet pharmacy investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Iowa. U.S. District Judge Linda Reade sentenced Millette to 41 months in prison and a $1.6 million fine.Millette pleaded guilty in July to conspiring to dispense Schedule III and Schedule IV controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of medical practice. He also pleaded guilty to laundering proceeds of the illegal prescriptions. Schedule III drugs are classified in the U.S. as drugs with potential for moderate physical dependence and include anabolic steroids, codeine, and some barbiturates. Schedule IV drugs have the potential for limited physical dependence and include Valium and Xanax, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.During his plea hearing, Millette said he prescribed more than 62 million doses of drugs illegally over the Internet, the DOJ said in a news release. Millette also said he laundered the money he received from the Internet companies that employed him.Millette also has pleaded guilty to charges from the Middle District of Florida, where he was charged with a separate drug conspiracy related to the Internet distribution of Schedule III and Schedule IV controlled substances, the DOJ said. The Florida charges were transferred to the Northern District of Iowa for a consolidated sentencing. It is illegal for a doctor to prescribe controlled substances unless the prescription is based on a legitimate doctor/patient relationship, the DOJ said. Many of the drugs Millette prescribed online are “addictive and dangerous if abused,” the DOJ added. The DOJ has made it a priority to crack down on Internet pharmacies because of the potential for death or serious injury if the drugs are not monitored by doctors, it said.Doctors from Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, and New York have also been sentenced to probation or prison terms in the investigation. Three doctors have pleaded guilty to related charges and are awaiting sentencing.Among the doctors already sentenced, Millette faces the longest prison sentence and the largest forfeiture of prescription profits. Technology Industry