The sentencing of a Roseboro doctor, along with two co-defendants in his drug distribution and racketeering case, will likely not come until at least November, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Dr. Perry Reese III, 51, of Roseboro, was found guilty in February of distributing controlled substances and racketeering activity for writing requested prescriptions to patients “outside the scope of professional practice” in exchange for under-the-counter money.

Investigators said Reese illegally distributed narcotic painkillers through his practice, Roseboro Urgent Care, over a one-year period from April 2002 to April 2003, at which point he was arrested by State Bureau of Investigation agents.

Reese was subsequently convicted by a federal jury and was initially scheduled to be sentenced in June. That sentencing date was continued until this month, however the hearing for Reese and two former co-workers has now been delayed again — until November, according to Robin Zier, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Zier said probation officials requested an extension for Reese’s sentencing, which was granted by the court. Similar extensions were granted for sentencing in the cases of Linda McLauren Burney, 46, and her daughter, Marvesa McLaurin. Both were convicted of perjury, charges brought in the wake of Reese’s 2003 arrest.

New sentencing hearings are slated for Nov. 2, Zier said.

According to investigators, Burney worked for two years as a medical assistant at Roseboro Urgent Care and was interviewed by SBI agents upon Reese’s arrest.

In the interview with SBI authorities, Burney stated she had seen Reese accept money for prescriptions he wrote, providing the names of nine people who paid for those prescriptions, according to federal documents. However, in her testimony before a grand jury, she “directly contradicted” the previous statements, the records show. McLaurin was similarly convicted of lying in court in reference to the investigation.

Reese, now of Cary, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for the drug distribution charge. For the racketeering offense, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.

Reese, who was first licensed by the N.C. Medical Board in September 2000, shortly before establishing his practice in Roseboro, voluntarily surrendered his license in May 2003. His license was officially revoked following a June 2005 hearing with the state board. His medical license is currently listed as “inactive” in the board’s database.

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@myclintonnc.com.