Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer-turned-boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, and one of Smith's doctor's, Khristine Eroshevich, appeared in LA County criminal court Tuesday morning to be arraigned on charges they conspired to furnish the late model with drugs, but their arraignment was postponed until May 13.
Stern, Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor – who was not in court today – are expected to plead not guilty to the charges, which they were charged with last month.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Anna Nicole Smith
Kapoor was previously scheduled for arraignment on May 13.
As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, California Attorney General Jerry Brown said in a statement in March, "These individuals repeatedly and excessively furnished thousands of prescription pills to Anna Nicole Smith, often for no legitimate medical purpose. This case is not a minor league case. Thousands of pills were put into the body of Anna Nicole Smith. The maximum sentence is several years, one count could be as high as three years, and there are 11 counts."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Anna Nicole Smith: The Players
Stern, Kapoor and Eroshevich face a potential of 33 years behind bars, according to Brown.
The charges filed include not only the conspiracy charge, but both doctors were also charged with one count each of obtaining a prescription for opiates by fraud, deceit or misrepresentation and prescribing opiates by giving a false name or address. Additionally, all three were also charged with "prescribing, or dispensing a controlled substance to an addict."
Stern's attorney previously said he will "ultimately be exonerated," while Kapoor's attorney, Ellyn Garofalo, has said the charges do not have merit.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Anna Nicole Smith's Funeral
In a statement released to Access, a rep for Dr. Eroshevich previously said, "Anna was the center of a cruel tabloid feeding frenzy. In the face of this, Dr. Eroshevich did her best to help the patient while protecting what little privacy Anna had left. Any actions were done with the patient's well-being in mind and were certainly not criminal."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: California Attorney General's Case Against Howard K. Stern
PLAY IT NOW: Howard K. Stern Arrested, Part I
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Anna Nicole Smith - News - Courts - Celebrity Scandals - Arrests
