Ohio pill mill owner faces 17-plus years in prison

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The operator of a former southern Ohio pill mill faces more than 17 years in prison when she goes before a federal judge Tuesday for sentencing.

Prosecutors pushing for a long sentence argue that Nancy Sadler had so little regard for the law that she boosted painkiller sales when she needed a new car, gambled away clinic profits at casinos and burned clinic records when a search warrant was imminent.

Sadler's attorney says she deserves a lower sentence because other people, like the clinic's former doctor, bear more responsibility.

Judge Sandra Beckwith was scheduled to sentence Sadler in federal court in Cincinnati.

Beckwith sentenced Sadler's husband, Lester, to 12 ½ years Monday for his role as co-owner of Ohio Medical and Pain Management in Waverly.