CHARLESTON, S.C. — Federal prosecutors say a 60-year-old South Carolina doctor has been convicted of trading painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs for money and sex.
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Prosecutors said a jury found Dr. Ronald Hargrave of Mount Pleasant guilty Monday of distribution of controlled substances after a four-day trial.
Authorities said Hargrove exchanged sex in his office for painkillers in another case in 2017.
Investigators said they started looking into Hargrove in 2015 after he went with a woman to a Columbia pharmacy around midnight on a Saturday with a Xanax prescription.
Prosecutors said in a statement the pharmacist refused to fill the prescription because it was odd to have a doctor accompany a patient to the drug store, especially out of town.
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Hargrove faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced later.