A Batesville, Miss., man has been hit with a civil judgment of more than $31 million for his role in an illegal kickback scheme targeting federal healthcare programs, the Justice Department said in a March 19 news release.
Robert Crites, 67, owner of Health Services Plus and TriCom, was found to have orchestrated a commission-based referral scheme in which he and others identified and referred patients, primarily TriCare beneficiaries, to Cloverland Pharmacy in Montgomery, Ala., in exchange for kickbacks.
The $31 million judgment includes $16.3 million in damages, representing three times the $5.4 million in losses sustained by TriCare as required under the False Claims Act, as well as $14.7 million in civil penalties. Mr. Crites was the last remaining defendant in the case, with five co-defendants having previously settled.
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