MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade doctor has been charged with manslaughter after one of her patients died from an opioid overdose.
Doctor Marta Farinas appeared in bond court Wednesday where a judge ordered she be placed under house arrest if she posted her $100,000 bail.
Farinas was visibly distraught while listening to the charges against her and the conditions of her release during her appearance in bond court.
“Total lockdown with the exceptions of her doctors’ visits, to and from work and visiting her attorney. Surrender of the travel documents prior to release, so that does go on the jail card,” said Judge Renatha S. Francis.
Back in March, Monroe County deputies found Farinas’ patient, 35-year-old Leigh Anne Milazzo, dead in her Key Largo home.
A bottle of oxycodone pills prescribed by Farinas that was filled a day earlier was discovered near Milazzo’s body. Eighteen of the 180 pills were missing.
Police said Farinas was carelessly prescribing large quantities of controlled substances to Milazzo, who was a registered nurse, wife and mother of two.
The arrest warrant revealed text messages between Farinas and Milazzo dating back to Sept. 14, 2017.
In one of the exchanges, Milazzo asked for a refill.
“I would owe you big time. Like ginormous time,” Milazzo wrote.
“OK. Call u in a bit. Where r u? What do you need? Can you share?? LOL I’m desperate too,” Farinas wrote in response.
Milazzo replied, writing, “I would share,” before placing her lengthy order.
The investigation revealed Farinas tried to pin some of the text messages on her boyfriend at the time, 46-year-old Keenan Sigler.
Investigators said Farinas also prescribed medicine to Sigler, who died of an overdose on the front yard of a West Miami-Dade home on May 5, 2018.
Farinas is facing charges for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, conspiracy to traffic oxycodone and manslaughter.
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