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Former Georgia medical examiner gets 8 years in opioids-for-sex case
ATLANTA — A highly regarded former Georgia medical examiner has been sentenced to serve eight years in prison for trading opioid prescriptions for sex in what former colleagues say is a sad and shocking turn for a man they knew as an ethical and dedicated public servant.
A forensic pathologist and former medical examiner, Joseph Burton, 73, handled cases from seven metro Atlanta counties, including some of the region's most high-profile murders.
Burton and seven others were indicted on conspiracy charges in February. Prosecutors say Burton, who had a medical expert consulting business but didn't see patients, wrote more than 1,500 prescriptions from July 2015 to August 2017 without a legitimate medical purpose.
Burton wrote many of the prescriptions to women in exchange for sexual favors, and he was aware that many of the recipients sold or bartered the prescriptions and pills, prosecutors said.
...
Burton's stunning fall is largely the result of a massive stroke he suffered in 2010 that damaged his brain's frontal lobe, his lawyer Buddy Parker said. A doctor's report submitted to the court says Burton suffers from mild vascular neurocognitive disorder, impairing his executive functions, which include "taking the time to think before acting, resisting temptations, and staying focused."
...
Parker submitted a dozen character letters written by former district attorneys, defense attorneys and others who worked with Burton. They describe him as brilliant, fair and professional, with many saying he was among the best expert witnesses they ever encountered.
Prosecutor John DeGenova argued that all of those people knew him in a limited professional capacity years ago. Burton, he said, thought that "his reputation, his stature and his intellect would keep him from having to deal with these consequences."
A forensic pathologist and former medical examiner, Joseph Burton, 73, handled cases from seven metro Atlanta counties, including some of the region's most high-profile murders.
Burton and seven others were indicted on conspiracy charges in February. Prosecutors say Burton, who had a medical expert consulting business but didn't see patients, wrote more than 1,500 prescriptions from July 2015 to August 2017 without a legitimate medical purpose.
Burton wrote many of the prescriptions to women in exchange for sexual favors, and he was aware that many of the recipients sold or bartered the prescriptions and pills, prosecutors said.
...
Burton's stunning fall is largely the result of a massive stroke he suffered in 2010 that damaged his brain's frontal lobe, his lawyer Buddy Parker said. A doctor's report submitted to the court says Burton suffers from mild vascular neurocognitive disorder, impairing his executive functions, which include "taking the time to think before acting, resisting temptations, and staying focused."
...
Parker submitted a dozen character letters written by former district attorneys, defense attorneys and others who worked with Burton. They describe him as brilliant, fair and professional, with many saying he was among the best expert witnesses they ever encountered.
Prosecutor John DeGenova argued that all of those people knew him in a limited professional capacity years ago. Burton, he said, thought that "his reputation, his stature and his intellect would keep him from having to deal with these consequences."
