In this live video, I share details from a phone call from a doctor indicted for conspiracy and violating anti-kickback statutes. He faces up to ten years in federal prison. While preparing for trial, they indicted his wife, which he insists is a consequence of his decision to prepare for trial. The charge results from a $3.7 million pharmacy conspiracy, including allegations that the doctor received over $300K in kickbacks.
The doctor faces accusations of receiving kickbacks for writing prescriptions for compounded medications. These prescriptions allegedly targeted TRICARE beneficiaries, individuals covered under a healthcare program for service members, retirees, and their families.
While the doctor acknowledges receiving compensation from the pharmacy, he asserts that it was in exchange for his contributions to training and educational events, not for referrals or prescribing practices. It is crucial to remember that, at this stage, the doctor is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Payments to the doctor included cash, trips, gift cards, and even a world cruise. He maintains that he paid taxes on all of it. The government, however, sees it differently. Again, they want to send him to prison for ten years (conspiracy and kickbacks) and forfeit $300K in assets.
The doctor and his wife find themselves devastated by the indictment, believing that the government’s only indicted the wife because the doctor refused to plead guilty. Now, against his judgment, he is contemplating taking a deal that spares his wife in prison.
The Government’s Stance:
Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), stresses the importance of holding doctors accountable for kickback schemes. Such actions, he says, undermine the provider-patient relationship and introduce hidden costs into the healthcare system.
This case is a poignant reminder of doctors’ immense responsibilities and the depths the government will go to get Justice.
Justin Paperny
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