More than two years after Anna Nicole Smith's death from a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs, authorities have filed the first criminal charges in the case – targeting her former attorney and lover, Howard K. Stern.
Stern, 40, a fixture at Smith's side for years who once claimed to be the father of her daughter Dannielynn, has been formally charged with conspiring to furnish drugs to Smith prior to her death, prosecutors said Thursday.
Also charged with felonies were two doctors, Sandeep Kapoor, 40, and Khristine Eroshevich, 61, who allegedly prescribed medication unlawfully to Smith, according to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office.
Kapoor was arrested Thursday evening and booked by Whittier, Calif., police, law enforcement records show. He remained in custody pending $20,000 bail. Arrest warrants were out on Stern and Eroshevich, with bail recommended at $20,000.
The conspiracy counts allege the three defendants conspired to provide controlled substances to Smith from between June 2004 and January 2007. They also were charged with "prescribing, administering or dispensing a controlled substance to an addict," among other charges.
