Timeline: One doctor, eight deaths

Oct. 7, 2004

An employee of Dr. Carlos Estiandan tells a Medical Board of California investigator that the doctor will give drug-addicted patients “anything they want.”

Nov. 29, 2004

Robin Hollis, a medical board investigator, begins looking into Estiandan’s prescribing.

April 25, 2005

A California Highway Patrol officer pulls over a motorist on the Harbor Freeway and finds dozens of blank and filled-in prescription forms, some from Estiandan’s prescription pads.

June 20, 2005

A Costco pharmacist in Los Angeles complains to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration about Estiandan’s prescription-writing and says he has stopped filling the doctor’s prescriptions.

Aug. 31, 2005

An undercover sheriff’s narcotics officer poses as a patient and sees Estiandan, who prescribes Vicodin, Soma, Valium and narcotic cough syrup.

Oct. 28, 2005

DEA agents stops a man in Albuquerque, N.M., with more than 1,800 pills of painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs and six one-pint bottles of narcotic cough syrup. The labels identify Estiandan as the prescriber.

Feb. 8, 2006

A U.S. Postal Service inspector in Houston seizes packages containing bottles of narcotic cough syrup, some listing Estiandan as the prescriber.

Feb. 28, 2006

Police in Ontario seize a package containing bottles of narcotic cough syrup destined for Tennessee, some listing Estiandan as the prescriber.

March 8, 2006

Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies arrest a woman with 46 prescriptions written by Estiandan, along with pills and narcotic cough syrup.

Aug. 11, 2006

Andrew Corless, a patient, calls Estiandan’s office and leaves a message asking the doctor to “please not see him anymore.” Hours later, he calls with a message “to disregard” the earlier call.

Sept. 7, 2006

Border Patrol agents in Texas seize 61 bottles of narcotic cough syrup from a woman from Long Beach. Some list Estiandan as the prescriber.

Nov. 20, 2006

Pamela Stone, 54, dies of an accidental overdose of multiple drugs, including an anti-anxiety medication prescribed by Estiandan.

Dec. 13, 2006

Andrew Corless, 46, dies of drug and alcohol intoxication. Estiandan prescribed two drugs found in his system.

Jan. 12, 2007

Authorities, including a medical board investigator, serve a search warrant at Estiandan’s home and offices.

Feb. 2, 2007

A medical board investigator interviews Leslie Greenberg, the girlfriend of Andrew Corless. She had complained to the board about Estiandan’s prescribing.

May 4, 2007

A DEA agent runs Estiandan’s name through DEA databases. Results show that in March 2007, he was the No. 1 prescriber in Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii of controlled substances for cash and the No. 5 prescriber in the nation.

May 22, 2007

A medical board investigator tells the DEA that prescriptions written by Estiandan are being filled in Kentucky.

June 29, 2007

Joyce Saldivar, 55, an Estiandan patient, dies of an overdose.

Sept. 27, 2007

A medical board expert files an opinion stating that Estiandan’s “extreme departures from the standard of practice” contributed to Andrew Corless’ death.

Sept. 28, 2007

A second board expert says Estiandan is unable to distinguish between a patient with chronic pain and an addict.

Feb. 14, 2008

Wilma Jones, 47, an Estiandan patient, dies of pneumonia, with use of hydrocodone and other drugs as contributing factors. Estiandan had prescribed hydrocodone for Jones.

Feb. 29, 2008

Authorities interview a man arrested with 19 bottles of narcotic cough syrup. He says he visited Estiandan monthly and sold prescriptions he obtained.

June 2, 2008

Estiandan patient Jimmy Miller, 29, chokes to death on his own vomit while intoxicated on three drugs, two of which Estiandan had prescribed.

June 3, 2008

Estiandan tells coroner’s investigators he warned Jimmy Miller the drugs he was taking were potentially addictive.

June 17, 2008

Estiandan patient Christopher Quint, 39, dies of an accidental overdose.

July 12, 2008

Alexandre Dergan, 48, dies of an accidental overdose of alcohol and hydrocodone, which Estiandan had prescribed.

July 23, 2008

Estiandan is arrested and charged with 13 felony counts of illegally prescribing controlled substances.

Nov. 18, 2008

Byron McKinney, 33, dies of heart disease. A contributing factor was hydrocodone, which Estiandan had prescribed.

Feb. 10, 2009

The medical board files a complaint against Estiandan, seeking to revoke his license.

Feb. 18, 2009

At the request of the medical board, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge orders Estiandan to stop prescribing controlled substances.

Sept. 9, 2009

Estiandan surrenders his medical license.

March 15, 2010

A jury convicts Estiandan of all counts.

July 7, 2010

Estiandan is sentenced to five years in prison.

September 2012

Estiandan is released.

Graphics reporting: Hailey Branson-Potts

Sources: Court documents, Medical Board of California documents, interviews, coroners’ records