The trial of a Casper doctor and his partners in an alleged prescription drug conspiracy has been rescheduled for this fall, according to minutes of a federal court hearing Tuesday.

Dr. Shakeel Kahn, his wife Lyn Kahn, and Paul Beland are scheduled to go on trial before a jury on Oct. 2, according to the minutes from the hour-long hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson in Cheyenne.

Johnson also set deadlines for designating expert witnesses, ordered the unsealing of some non-public documents filed in the case, and set March 22 for another hearing.

But the location of the trial remains to be seen, according to the minutes.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has asked the court to transfer the case. It started in Casper before U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl, but was transferred to Johnson in Cheyenne. However, attorneys for the government and the defendants have said in court they'd prefer the trial to be held in Casper because the Kahns and a number of witnesses are from Casper. Keeping it local would save money and travel time, they added.

The Kahns were arrested at their house on Thorndike Avenue in south Casper on Nov. 30. They were initially charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone.

They were released on probation, but violated their bonds. Last month, Skavdahl ordered Shakeel Kahn to remain in custody until the trial. Lyn Kahn remains on probation.

Last month, a federal grand jury handed down a 21-count indictment.

Shakeel Kahn faces the most serious count -- operating a continuing criminal enterprise. If convicted on that charge alone, he faces 20 years to life imprisonment.

The indictment also alleges he, Lyn Kahn and Beland committed conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and alprazolam; dispensing of oxycodone; possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and aid and abet; unlawful use of a communication facility; dispensing of oxycodone and aid and abet; and engaging in monetary transactions derived from criminal activity.

They have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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