Limbaugh Won't Face Viagra Charges
Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh will not face state criminal charges for the bottle of Viagra found in his luggage that appeared to have been prescribed to someone else, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Limbaugh, 55, was detained for more than three hours at Palm Beach International Airport on June 26 after he returned on his private plane from a vacation in the Dominican Republic.
Limbaugh's lawyer, Roy Black, has said the prescription for the erectile dysfunction medication that Customs officials found in his bag was written in Limbaugh's doctor's name "for privacy purposes."
It is generally not illegal under Florida law for a physician to prescribe medication in a third party's name if all parties are aware and the doctor documents it correctly, said Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the state attorney in Palm Beach County.State Attorney's Memo
The conservative radio host had been released without being charged and investigators confiscated the Viagra.
No federal charges were pending.
Charges against Limbaugh could have jeopardized a deal he reached with prosecutors in May regarding the dismissal of a "doctor shopping" charge.
Under the deal, authorities will dismiss the "doctor shopping" charge if Limbaugh does not get arrested for 18 months, among other terms. Prosecutors had said he illegally deceived multiple doctors to get overlapping painkiller prescriptions. Limbaugh denied the charges but admitted he was addicted to painkillers.