Darrin Shapiro arrested. I guess wakeboarding doesn't pay the bills after all.

His career as a pro wakeboarder has been over for awhile. He's been making money pushing wake surfers if I remember correctly.

"Sorry, but that is such a spectacularly stupid thing to say. My god."

Nope, it's true. Your only answer is to attack my intelligence. Didn't they teach you anything useful in journalism school?

Originally Posted by wake77

"Sorry, but that is such a spectacularly stupid thing to say. My god."

Nope, it's true. Your only answer is to attack my intelligence. Didn't they teach you anything useful in journalism school?

I was careful to say it was a stupid thing to say, not a direct attack at your intelligence as a person, so, pump your brakes. As for what they taught me while I was at one of the best journalism schools in the country, as far as dealing with stuff like this, yes. Yes they did. Does it help when one is in a beehive of activity, emotion, presumptions, blame, gut reactions and slander? Not really.

^I wouldn't have even classified it as an attack on my intelligence, except you added "My god." after the bit about it being stupid to say, along with the "spectacularly" in front of the stupid. Besides, I don't see how my statement discussing the oxycotin prescriptions issued by the clinic being more than the state of California could be using statistics to lie. Unless maybe the whole state of FL were clients of said clinic.

Backkkk on topic...
There's an intervention on A&E right now on an oxy addict - got her start in 'pain clinic'.
Really sad. Glad I have no idea what this is like.

They just happen to have $900,000 and 50,000 pills just laying around the house and 5 patients on record. Innocent until proven guilty...I think they will struggle with this one.

Go watch the Documentary

the oxycontin express

its out of control in Florida, its worse than the 80s in Miami

"They just happen to have $900,000 and 50,000 pills just laying around the house"

Really?? Maybe you want to re-read the article. Neither here to condemn or defend them but misreading, then misquoting, just fans the flames of misunderstanding. Not saying it's any better but it's my understanding they did not dispense drugs. Prescriptions were what were issued.

I would see Darrin all the time when he just started riding. He rode with friends, did local tournaments, helped everyone's kids learn to ride and it sucks to see what has happened. Don't let your experiences cloud your judgement...prescriptions...really? Anyone can walk into any of these pill mills and get a prescription. "Prescription for Profit" Get a clue. Obviously they cannot take his medical license but they did hire out for one. How can you defend this crap?

As a doctor, I personally feel that it is the doctor's responsibility in what happened here and too hold Shapiro responsible as the owner of the office is a little crazy. We obviously don't know any details other than his charges of racketeering and money laundering, and although pain clinics have a negative stigma, they are still legal. They are pure cash businesses so any discrepancy in the books could be technically money laundering hence breaking the law hence racketeering? (if any lawyer or someone who just knows what racketeering is, all i know is that it is "running an illegal business"). Now as the business owner, it was his responsibility to know what's going on in his business but assuming he was just the owner and not the manager of the office, if any of the employees were pocketing cash and not reporting a few of the patients every day that were seen, he would be screwed. The problem is that in the beginning when he opened the clinic, he was just being a smart businessman with a very successful business that kept making more and more money and at some point you reach the point of no return. These places can see over 100 patients per day which is insane with every patient paying cash, so I could easily see some of the employees doing that just out of sheer anger that the owner is getting richer than he could ever imagine and they are making their standard hourly wage and think they deserve a piece of the pie. All Darin can do is ask the doctor if he is actually doing an exam and go by that. Now of course I'm just giving Darin the benefit of the doubt because he is one of my favorite wakeboarders of all time and besides for Parks, had some of the most classic video sections ever and it is sad to think that we won't get to see any new clips of him riding.

make paragraphs FFS

I agree with the doctor, and am giving Darin the benefit of the doubt on this, and I'm never opening this thread again unless I want to.

Racketeering is how they get the mafia guys. Its not a cop it's an accountant. It's interesting that its a cash business. I would have thought the insurance companies would be covering a lot of the treatment costs. Unpaid taxes on that 900,000 stashed away could be 180,000 to 250,000 easily. Darrin has always been my favorite rider I would love to see him exonerated I just don't think that will happen.

Lets talk about the Florida chiropractors who have an attorney's kiosk in their offices to milk the mandatory PIP insurance coverage. Hey its all "legal".

This is the stuff that is happening in Florida with these Pain Clinics. The first sentence should tell you enough.

WEST PALM BEACH — Three doctors who fueled a massive prescription drug ring that is blamed for more than 50 deaths acknowledged today that there is only one explanation for their actions: Greed.

With little emotion, all three doctors apologized for their involvement in the lucrative and deadly scheme organized by Wellington twins Jeff and Christopher George.

While their words varied, all three said there was no justification for writing thousands of prescriptions for powerful pain killers, knowing there was no medical justification for them.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra, who has already sentenced nearly two dozen people for their involvement in the pill mill operation, said the three doctors share traits with the other physicians he has sentenced for their role in the multi-million-dollar scheme.

"All are without criminal histories. They all came from good families. They all have good characteristics," he said before sentencing one of them.

"This is all an aberration in every one of their backgrounds," he said before sentencing another.

In the end, Marra said he determined how long each would spend in prison by considering how many pills for oxycodone and other narcotics each peddled out of so-called pain clinics in West Palm Beach and Broward County.

Pointing out that Dr. Michael Aruta, 48, a Boca Raton family doctor, had written prescriptions for 2.7 million pills, Marra sentenced him to six years in prison. Dr. Robert Meek, 36, a Davie osteopath, who inked prescriptions for 1.2 million pain killers, received 5 1/2 years. Dr. Patrick Graham, a 66-year-old Boca Raton plastic surgeon who worked at the clinic part-time for eight months, prescribed 193,000 pills. He received four years.

Marra agreed to let them remain free for several months to get their affairs in order. Furthermore, because all have cooperated with investigators and agreed to testify against Dr. Cynthia Cadet when she goes to trial in August, he expects eventually to consider motions to reduce their sentences.

Cadet is the only one of the nine surviving doctors charged in federal court for their role in the operation who is continuing to maintain her innocence. Two elderly doctors died after they were indicted.

Cadet's attorney, Richard Merlino, conceded she is taking "a huge gamble." Because prosecutors are alleging her actions contributed to 10 overdose deaths, she could be sent to prison for life if convicted. A tenth physician, Dr. Gerald Klein of Palm Beach Gardens, faces a murder charge in state court.

All of the other doctors charged in federal court accepted plea deals. The longest sentence any received is six years. The George brothers were both sentenced to more than 16 years in prison.

"She's adamant about going to trial," Merlino said of Cadet "She wants to clear her name."

Besides the three doctors, Marra sentenced Michael Renda, 30, of West Palm Beach to nine months in prison for his role in an illegal anabolic steroid clinic Jeff George operated in West Palm Beach.

Here is a link to a video news report:

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/...running/nJGzz/

Here's the latest article and it doesn't look good. They haven't even mentioned tax evasion yet. That alone could be very serious.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/healt...,6088026.story

Wow. Darin might have been a world-class wakeboarder but... There's nothing remotely positive or even neutral about the Shapiros in that story.

So after having there Florida pill mills closed they fled to Hawaii to start another?! Ruh-tard-Ed....

It's really tough to read threads like this these days. It seems we have alot of extremely judgmental people on this site. Without knowing all of the facts I find it hard to make a judgement about Darin or his family. Having spent some time with him at his camp in 2000, I remember him as a very business savvy professional and a health and nutrition enthusiast. I will not form a judgement on him, especially without having heard all the facts. Also to throw around other riders names in pure speculation is horribly irresponsible.

i understand the whole 'innocent until proven guilty' but c'mon, they've been under investigation for a while. it's not like they woke up one day and decided to arrest the shapiros.

any word on if he's been sentenced yet?

Convicted you mean?
Seriously, one thing at a time. It looks grim for him and his family but let's at least give the justice system a moment with the thing.

Originally Posted by sppeders

any word on if he's been sentenced yet?

Takes a while for something of this magnitude to even get on the court docket, muchless, not get set off and set off and set off until a year or two.

I hate to bump this thread after re-reading a lot of the comments, but has there been any news on this. Is he in jail? Free on bond? Is there a trial scheduled?

I had a discussion about Shapiro this weekend and wondered if there was any kind of update.

I heard the bail was massively reduced but I don't know if charges are still pending?? Darin is not in jail though.

i heard that his father took the fall and is in jail, not sure how true !!!!!

Unless their assets have been frozen, the Shapiros have an obscene amount of money with which to pay their bails. If you want to know the latest, look him up in the sheriff's office database/court database. I think it's Orange County.