Doctor embroiled in opioids scam accused of trying to hire Hells Angel to silence witness

Anatoly Braylovsky first arrested in June 2020 on charges of illegal distribution of prescriptions

A member of the Hells Angels arrives for a national gathering in Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, Que., on August 10, 2018. (Canadian Press/Shutterstock)

A doctor charged with writing fraudulent opioid prescriptions allegedly tried to hire a Hells Angels to silence a witness in his case, according to federal prosecutors.

Anatoly Braylovsky, 50, was arrested in June 2020 on charges of illegal distribution of prescriptions and now faces obstruction of justice charges for the failed plot.

The FBI were contacted by a former employee who had been tipped off that the doctor was “looking for help regarding witnesses”, according to The Washington Post.

The informant, who has not been named in court papers, told authorities that the doctor did not want to return to prison after spending “the worst five days of his life” behind bars when he was arrested before being released on bail.

“Braylovsky asked if (the informant) would talk to his/her ‘brother’, who Braylovsky believed is the president of the Hells Angels,” the complaint filed in federal court stated.

“Braylovsky further explained there are witnesses who will testify against him. Braylovsky specifically referenced ‘a guy who was mic’d up’ that would testify against him and said ‘this guy’s gotta go’.”

“(The informant) understood this as Braylovsky asking (the informant) to help him find someone to intimidate or kill this witness,” the complaint said.

The FBI then carried out a sting operation in a Connecticut Home Depot car park, with an undercover agent wearing a wire and posing as a hitman for hire.

While Mr Braylovsky had his suspicions about the man, the undercover officer reassured him of his capability.

“I am a professional, alright?” the officer told Mr Braylovsky, the FBI affidavit states, according to the newspaper.

“And if l need to find somebody, I find them, okay?”

The pair continued to discuss a plan to “target” a witness in the case, which was enough for investigators to implicate him and he was arrested and charged on 27 August with attempting to obstruct the due administration of justice.

Mr Braylovsky was first arrested in June 2020, for allegedly giving oxycodone prescriptions to patients without performing medical exams in exchange for $1,600 payments.

He was released on a $750,000 bond on home confinement with a monitoring device.