A Redondo Beach neurologist pleaded not guilty today to 36 drug-related felony counts, stemming from his alleged illegal possession of $2 million in pills stashed in a Long Beach storage facility, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced today.
Dr. Gerard Geoffrey Goryl, 59, was not allowed to possess narcotics as a result of two previously-pending cases and was facing charges under a third criminal complaint. However, he was allegedly storing an estimated 500,000 diet pills and other prescription drugs in the Long Beach storage facility.
An indictment unsealed today by the District Attorney’s Office supersedes those three cases.
Goryl faces 19 counts of possession for sale of a controlled substance, 10 counts of prescribing with a restricted or suspended license, three counts each of illegal prescription of a controlled substance and sale, transportation or offer to sell a controlled substance and one count of possessing more than $100,000 obtained from illegal narcotics sales.
Wilfred Arvizo Jr., Goryl’s co-defendant, was indicted on three counts of sale, transportation or offer to sell a controlled substance and one count each of possession for sale of a controlled substance and possession of more than $100,000 obtained from illegal narcotics sales.
Goryl was arrested October 21 after the Redondo Beach Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration discovered he had a storage locker containing the prescription drugs, the LADA said.
Goryl, who ran a medical clinic called A Better Weigh on Artesia Boulevard in Redondo Beach, was previously arrested in June after allegedly selling prescription drugs to undercover police officers.
He was re-arrested in August and charged with eight felony counts alleging that he was continuing to sell a prescription diet pill, even after he was told he was barred from doing so.
Goryl is being held on $2.1 million bail, and is due back in court January 6 for a pretrial hearing.
City News Service contributed to this report.