Jury selection began on Friday in the federal case against a St. Augustine doctor, Scott Hollington, who is accused of trading sex for drugs. Hollington is facing 20 criminal counts, including conspiracy, unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, and obstruction of justice. The prosecution alleges that Hollington exploited drug addicts by offering them drugs in exchange for sexual favors. Undercover FBI agents, posing as patients, along with five actual patients, are expected to testify against Hollington. The defense argues that the doctor’s sexual interactions with patients are irrelevant, as he was prescribing medically necessary prescriptions to patients dealing with addiction. The defense motion to limit some secretly recorded videotaped evidence, which included the doctor discussing topics unrelated to the case, was partially granted. The judge agreed to exclude the doctor’s comments about COVID but denied the defense’s request to prohibit the sexual conversation evidence from being used at trial. The trial is scheduled to begin on Monday with opening statements.
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Reference: firstcoastnews.com