Whittier Police DepartmentHoward K. Stern won't be shaking the Anna Nicole Smith association anytime soon.
Along with two doctors who wrote prescriptions for Smith, Stern was charged Thursday with obtaining drugs for the late model and reality-TV star, who died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in 2007.
Stern, psychiatrist Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, whose office was raided by Drug Enforcement Agency officials last month at the behest of the California Medical Board, are all facing one count apiece of felony conspiracy to furnish drugs to Smith and prescribing, administering or dispensing a controlled substance to an addict.
"These individuals repeatedly and excessively furnished thousands of prescription pills to Anna Nicole Smith, often for no legitimate medical purpose," California Attorney General Jerry Brown said in a statement. "There is ample evidence that Dr. Eroshevich and Dr. Kapoor violated their ethical obligations as physicians, while Mr. Stern funneled highly addictive drugs to Ms. Smith."
Stern and Kapoor, who surrendered to authorities, were both released tonight after each posted $20,000 bail. Per Brown's spokesman, Eroshevich is expected to turn herself in Monday.
Last month, Stern told E! News he did not try to procure drugs for Smith from Kapoor.
"Dr. Kapoor never prescribed medications for Anna Nicole in my name and that is what the medical board will find out," he said.
Stern and Kapoor were also charged with a single count of unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance between June 9, 2004, and Sept. 22, 2006, while Stern and Eroshevich were hit with the same charge for prescriptions doled out between June 5, 2004, and Jan. 26, 2007.
Kapoor had prescribed methadone for Smith when she was pregnant with daughter Dannielynn, and the Rx was made out to "Michelle Chase," an alias Smith was known to use.
Kapoor and Eroshevich, whose offices were both searched in 2007 as part of an investigation into their practices, were also charged with one count apiece of obtaining a prescription for opiates by "fraud, deceit or misrepresentation" and of obtaining a prescription for opiates by giving a false name or address.
All 11 medications found in the Florida hotel room where Smith died were prescribed by Eroshevich, eight in Stern's name, two to someone named Alex Katz and one to Eroshevich herself.
No arraignment date has been scheduled yet.
(Originally published March 12, 2009 at 7:09 p.m. PT)