DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of Kansas

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Barry Grissom
, United States Attorney
Contact: Jim Cross

Former Wichita Area Physician Sentenced On Federal Firearm and Drug Charges

WICHITA, KAN. – A former Wichita area physician was sentenced Monday to a total of 75 months in prison on federal firearm and drug charges and a violation of federal supervised release, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

In November, a jury found Lawrence M. Simons, 57, Wichita, Kan., guilty on one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction and one count of unlawful possession of controlled substances.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that in 2009 Simons, a former employee of the Schneider Medical Clinic in Haysville, Kan., pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances. In January 2010, Simons was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison to be followed by three years on supervised release.

In April 2013 an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives learned that Simons had given a pistol to Steven Woodin, proprietor of S&F Bail Bonds in Wichita. Simons owed Woodin for bonding him out of jail on a $25,000 bond in a Sedgwick County District Court case involving a charge of making a criminal threat.

Prosecutors also presented evidence that on Aug. 7, 2008, Simons signed a Drug Enforcement Administration form surrendering his controlled substances privileges. On Aug. 21, 2009, Simons leased three storage units at the West Kellogg Stor-All where he stored personal property. Controlled substances later were found in the storage units including Fentanyl, Actiq, Lortab Elixer, Ketamine, Versed, Midazolam, Brevital Sodium, Diazepam, Stadol and Niravan.

The sentence includes 51 months on the firearms and gun charges and 24 months to be served consecutively for the violation of supervised release.

Grissom commenced the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.

 

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Kansas City Field Division