Mississippi pharmacy owners charged in $18M healthcare fraud scheme

Two Mississippi pharmacy owners are accused of paying and receiving kickbacks and other bribes in exchange for promoting expensive compounded drugs and dispensing them to people who didn't need them in an $18 million healthcare fraud scheme, the Sun Herald reported. 

Dempsey Bryan Levi and Jeffrey Wayne Rollins, owners of Garden's Pharmacy in Ocean Springs, Miss., allegedly wrote prescriptions for compounded pain creams based on how much money they'd bring in and not for medical need. They fraudulently billed insurers, including the military insurer Tricare, out of millions of dollars, the U.S. Justice Department lawsuit claims. 

Some who received the drugs dispensed at the men's pharmacy never saw a physician for a medical examination before they received the drugs, according to the Sun Herald. The scheme allegedly took place between January 2014 and May 2019. 

The two men are accused of conspiracy and attempt to defraud the federal government. They pleaded not guilty during their first court appearance last week, and a trial is set  for Dec. 7. Each faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. 

Read the full article here.

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