Security News in Brief: Pharmacist Sentenced for $180 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Mississippi pharmacist was sentenced today to five years in prison in the Southern District of Mississippi for a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE and private insurance companies by paying kickbacks to distributors for the referral of medically unnecessary prescriptions. The conduct resulted in more than $180 million in fraudulent billings, including more than $50 million paid by federal health care programs.