Dr. Julio ‘Candyman’ Diaz Faces 200 Years in Prison
Man Accused of Over-Prescribing Pain Pills Under House Arrest in Goleta
Dr. Julio “Candyman” Diaz — a Santa Barbara physician arrested in 2012 on charges of drug trafficking and over-prescribing painkillers to his patients, 11 of whom died of overdoses — may soon strike a plea deal with federal prosecutors to spend up to 200 years in prison and pay at least $10 million in restitution. Under the possible deal — Diaz signed a plea agreement that was filed in late November but must officially consent to it at a January 9 hearing — he would plead guilty to 10 charges of illegally distributing a controlled substance and one charge of illegally distributing a controlled substance to a person under 21 years old.
Diaz would plead guilty to only those charges, and all other counts against him would be dismissed, although they could be considered at his sentencing, the agreement states. The 11 charges stem from Diaz’s treatment of three patients, but prosecutor Ann Luotto Wolf — explaining that Diaz has yet to formally plead — declined to elaborate on details about those patients’ backgrounds or whether any are among the 11 who died. Diaz’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment. Diaz is currently under house arrest in Goleta, Wolf said.
According to the filing, Diaz — whose Family Care Clinic operated at 510 North Milpas — reportedly prescribed one patient more than 1,000 opiates and sedatives in October 2010 and doled out more than 600 to another patient in November and December 2010. The third patient, who was 20 years old at the time, received a prescription for 180 oxycodone pills in September 2009.
