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Eight Dallas-Area Men Charged With Paying Illegal Kickbacks To Obtain Referrals Of TRICARE And DOL Beneficiaries

On Behalf of | Dec 27, 2018 | Firm News, Government Fraud

doctor-563428_640.jpgAn octet of Texas pharmacy proprietors and promoters were indicted last week on charges of submitting over $92 million in claims to TRICARE and the United States Department of Labor obtained by paying out approximately $9.1 million in illicit kickbacks.

Per Federal prosecutors, five men from Fort Worth, one man from Dallas, one man from Manhattan Beach, California, and one man from Horseshoe Bay, Texas engaged in a plan to pay kickbacks and bribes to marketers who obtained them referrals for beneficiaries of TRICARE and the Department of Labor. Investigators say the marketers were ostensibly established as W-2 employees by one pharmacy, while they were engaged as 1099 contractors by the other pharmacy, both of which were allegedly part of the scheme.

Investigators say the criminal activity began in the spring of 2014 and ran through the fall of 2016, paying the marketers differently depending upon whether the referral was for government beneficiaries or for beneficiaries of private insurance. This was done in order to mask the illegal kickbacks for federal beneficiary referrals, according to federal prosecutors.

All told, the trio of marketers were allegedly paid $9.1 million in kickbacks – one man received $4.4 million, another was given $2.1 million, while a third received $2.6 million. Each of the eight defendants faces a single charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive kickbacks. Four men were also charged with four counts each of paying kickbacks, one man was charged with two counts of receiving kickbacks, and two men were charged with one count each of receiving kickbacks.

The Law Offices of Bjorn Brunvand have been representing people charged with capital murder, felony drug charges, drunk driving, government fraud, and white-collar crimes for over a quarter century. Contact our office today to discuss your Tampa Bay-area state or federal charges.

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