The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 27, 2010

Updated: 07/27/2010 12:51 pm

TAMPA - Police arrested the manager of a pain clinic where detectives served a search warrant Monday and charged him with money laundering in connection with the clinic's activities.

Jorge Bentancourt-Gonzalez, 50, was arrested as part of the follow-up investigation into the raid on the clinic at 2614 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. He faces a charge of money laundering of $100,000 or more, the Tampa Police Department said.

An arrest report said Bentancourt-Gonzalez had more than $225,000 and more than $200,000 was disguised as unreported income to avoid requirements for reporting cash transactions.

The report also said the money came through writing prescriptions for pain killers, primarily oxycodone, and the company and employees dispensed and distributed the drug "outside the scope of professional practice".

Police said Bentancourt-Gonzales was the manager of the clinic and was employed by First Medical Group, the police department said.

Hillsborough County Jail records show police arrested Bentancourt-Gonzalez Monday afternoon and he was booked into the jail early this morning.

Bentancourt-Gonzalez, 9916 Menander Wood Ct, Odessa, was released on $15,000 bail, jail records show.

Today, a sign on the locked clinic door told patients that medical records were available from the Tampa Police Department.

Detectives began investigating the clinic after receiving complaints from neighbors. Police said that at times the lines outside the clinic were so long that chairs were put out so customers could sit.

Some of the business neighbors of the clinic in a small strip center were pleased today that the business was shut down and the sidewalk in the front empty.

Clinic customers usually milled on the sidewalk waiting for their appointments and were lined up at the door when the clinic opened at 9 a.m., said Ryan McGuinness who works at Stadium Pawn at the south end of the strip center.

"Typically they'd have a bunch of people," he said.

Clinic customers would come into the pawn shop seeking relief from the heat or to pass the time.

"They'd come in here and we'd have to watch so they don't steal anything," McGuinness said.

Not every business in the center was pleased to see the clinic closed.

The steady supply of waiting people drove customers into the neighboring exotic boutique, The Wild Side, said manager Noni Bingman.

Some of those people made purchases, Bingman said.

"Our business is completely dead," she said.

Open nearly two hours today, she hadn't made a sale.

The clinic customers seldom caused trouble for her business.