Mequon doctor sentenced to prison for trading prescriptions for cash Mequon doctor sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for illegally writing prescriptions for controlled substances in exchange for cash payments

A Mequon doctor has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for illegally writing prescriptions for controlled substances, including Ritalin and Xanax, in exchange for cash payments.

Cameras were not allowed in court Thursday, but 69-year-old Jerry Jones III pleaded guilty after federal Drug Enforcement Administration investigators found he had been writing illegal prescriptions to individuals who texted him and paid him through apps like Cash App and Venmo.


Prosecutors said Jones worked for decades in emergency rooms but began operating as a  purported addiction treatment specialist  from his home in Mequon in 2021.

There, according to a sentencing memo filed in court, Jones  accumulated a group of 'patients' who were actually drug customers. 

According to court documents, Jones charged hundreds of dollars to send prescriptions to pharmacies without conducting exams or reviewing medical histories, basing his decisions solely on  whether the customer had money. 

Jones has since been stripped of his medical license.

 For over four years, Jones sold vulnerable people with substance use disorders the stimulants, opioids and benzodiazepines they requested, if they paid cash, up front,  prosecutors said.

They added that Jones distributed  hundreds of thousands of dangerous and addictive controlled substances in exchange for cash. 

Federal prosecutors summarized the case at his sentencing, saying,  He knew it was wrong. And he nevertheless chose to violate his oath as a doctor and prey on addicts, for profit. 

Jones was also ordered to repay nearly $300,000, the amount prosecutors said he earned through the illegal scheme.

According to court documents obtained by WISN 12 News, prosecutors criticized Jones for deflecting responsibility. Jones claimed he followed virtual visit standards during the COVID-19 pandemic but admitted,  I did not make myself c

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