WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has thrown out some convictions against a former Kansas doctor and his wife accused of a moneymaking conspiracy at a pain clinic linked to 68 overdose deaths.
But the ruling Monday does not end legal troubles for Stephen Schneider and his wife, Linda, because much of the case remains.
The couple was convicted in 2010 of conspiracy to commit health care fraud resulting in those deaths, unlawfully prescribing drugs, health care fraud and money laundering. Schneider was sentenced to 30 years and his wife 33 years.
The court also overturned the conspiracy sentence following an unrelated U.S. Supreme Court decision that the victim’s drug use had to be the actual cause of death, not merely a contributing factor.
At least one remaining count carries a mandatory 20-year sentence.