‘Candyman’ Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal Prison

Julio “Candyman” Diaz — the Santa Barbara doctor found guilty in August for over-prescribing addictive painkillers that fueled his patients’ addictions and deaths — was sentenced to over 27 years in federal prison this week. Santa Ana District Judge Cormac J. Carney delivered the 327-month sentence to Diaz, 67, of Goleta, following Diaz’s two-and-a-half-weeks-long jury trial in August that found him guilty of 79 drug trafficking charges. The charges were related to Diaz’s Milpas Street clinic, where many of his patients paid cash in exchange for painkillers like OxyContin, Xanax, and Norco, explained California Central District Attorney Eileen M. Decker in a statement. “Driven by financial gain, this doctor wrote a staggering number of prescriptions for people, many of whom were clearly abusing the drugs,” Decker continued.