Updated Wednesday, July 4, 2007 0:00 am TWN, ATLANTA, AP Attorney: Benoit’s doctor charged over drug prescriptionsThe seven-count indictment said Dr. Phil Astin, physician to wrestler Chris Benoit, dispensed drugs including Percocet, Xanax, Lorcet and Vicoprofen between April 2004 and September 2005. The recipients were identified in the indictment by the initials O.G. and M.J.; Benoit’s initials were not listed. Astin was expected to make an initial court appearance Monday afternoon. A separate criminal complaint made public Monday said Astin had written prescriptions for about 1 million doses of controlled substances over the past two years, including “significant quantities” of injectable testosterone cypionate, an anabolic steroid. The complaint by Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Anissa Jones said the amount of prescriptions was “excessive” for a medical office with a sole practitioner in a rural area like Carrollton, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Atlanta. The affidavit said he prescribed a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids to Benoit every three to four weeks between May 2006 and May 2007. It says that during a probe of a company called RX Weight Loss, Benoit was identified as an excessive purchaser of injectable steroids. The affidavit also said Astin was identified as the supplier of various controlled substances, including injectable anabolic steroids that were found in Benoit’s home. Astin has not been charged with supplying steroids to Benoit, though U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias said that the investigation continues and that more charges are possible. Federal drug agents have taken over the probe into whether Astin improperly prescribed testosterone and other drugs to Benoit before the killings and suicide in the wrestler’s suburban Atlanta home last month. State prosecutors and sheriff’s officials are overseeing the death investigation. Federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of all property and proceeds Astin obtained through the illegal conduct if he is convicted. Investigators have conducted two raids at Astin’s west Georgia office since last week. | Breaking News Most Read |