The upcoming sentencing of Julio “Candyman” Diaz — the former Santa Barbara doctor charged with overprescribing narcotics and sedatives to his patients, 11 of whom died of overdoses in a five-year span — will hinge on whether a federal judge allows him to withdraw his guilty pleas, which Diaz’s attorney has indicated he will do, at a hearing in December. Diaz pleaded guilty in January, two years after his arrest. Since pleading, his sentencing has been repeatedly postponed, including when Diaz — currently in federal custody — acquired a new lawyer. His sentence could be as stiff as 200 years in prison and $10 million in fines. Prosecutor Ann Wolf said the case would move to trial if the judge grants Diaz’s request.
