Dallas-area podiatrist gets prison in Internet drug scam

DALLAS - A federal judge in Dallas has ordered nearly 3½ years in prison for a podiatrist convicted in an Internet-related drug scheme. The U.S. attorney's office says 58-year-old Dr. Salvatore DeFrank, formerly of Plano, must report to prison Sept. 2. DeFrank was convicted of conspiring to distribute controlled substances over the Internet. Prosecutors say DeFrank in 2003 began to authorize the distribution of controlled substances to Internet customers, acting as the prescribing physician. Investigators say DeFrank was paid per ``consultation'' with Internet purchasers, without meeting with, reviewing medical records of or communicating with such customers. Texas revoked DeFrank's medical license in May 2005. DeFrank's sentence of 41 months was announced late Tuesday by... [read full story]