‘Candyman’ Found Guilty on 79 Drug Charges

Julio “Candyman” Diaz was convicted in federal court this week on 79 drug trafficking charges. The former Santa Barbara doctor who ran a medical office on Milpas Street was found guilty of overprescribing powerful painkillers to his patients. Authorities believe as many as 20 of Diaz’s patients died from overdoses. In 2011, Department of Justice prosecutors said, he wrote prescriptions for more than 1.7 million doses of drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax, and others.

Diaz’s trial in Santa Ana lasted two-and-a-half weeks. The jury deliberated for less than two hours, according to the Orange County Register. As a result of the guilty verdict, Diaz faces as many as 1,360 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 14.