GUILTY: Vero doc Johnny Benjamin faces life sentence

FORT LAUDERDALE — Vero Beach spine surgeon Dr. Johnny Benjamin was convicted on five of the seven felony counts against him in federal court. A jury reached its verdict Friday. Benjamin was accused of illegal drug distribution and providing the fentanyl-laced pain killer that caused a Palm Beach woman’s 2016 overdose death.

The case hinged on the testimony from Kevan Slater and Zachary Stewart, two DEA informants whom prosecutors said sold prescription and counterfeit pain pills on the street for Dr. Benjamin. They also assisted in a scheme to build the surgeon’s inventory of illegal pills as the illicit operation spread throughout the Treasure Coast. Both men plead guilty and testified for the prosecution at Benjamin’s trial.

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