Soreness Clinic Entrepreneurs Convicted of Unlawfully Distributing Opioids and Multimillion-Dollar Wellbeing Care Fraud | OPA

A federal jury convicted a Tennessee health practitioner and his spouse yesterday in the Northern District of Alabama for unlawfully distributing opioids, giving unwanted expert services and defrauding insurers from their now-shuttered Alabama clinics.   

According to courtroom documents and proof offered at demo, Mark Murphy, 65, and his wife, Jennifer Murphy, 65, both of Lewisburg, owned and operated North Alabama Pain Companies (NAPS), which closed its Decatur and Madison places of work in early 2017. Above the approximately five-year time period top up to the clinic closing its Alabama destinations, Murphy and his spouse, who was the office supervisor, prompted over $50 million in fraudulent or unwanted professional medical expert services to be billed to Medicare, TRICARE, Blue Cross Blue Protect of Alabama and some others. Proof at trial showed that NAPS delivered pre-signed prescriptions to thousands of patients a month, together with prescriptions created outdoors the common class of qualified observe devoid of a reputable health care objective. The Murphys also solicited and acquired illegal payments for referring fraudulent or unwanted expert services to sufferers. Jennifer Murphy was also convicted of tax-connected costs for underreporting clinic earnings.

Both of those defendants were convicted of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute managed substances and conspiracy to dedicate wellbeing care fraud, alongside with several substantive counts associated to the exact same. They ended up also convicted of conspiring to defraud the United States and obtaining kickbacks. The Murphys facial area a most of 20 several years in jail for the drug prices and a greatest of 10 years in jail for the well being care fraud costs. The two defendants facial area a maximum of 5 years in jail for expenses stemming from violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, and Jennifer Murphy faces up to 3 a long time in prison for the tax rates. A federal district court docket decide will determine any sentence just after considering the U.S. Sentencing Rules and other statutory things. Sentencing is scheduled for June 30. 

Assistant Attorney Basic Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division U.S. Legal professional Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama Particular Agent in Charge Bradford L. Byerly of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Orleans Field Division Distinctive Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr. of the FBI Birmingham Division Particular Agent in Demand James E. Dorsey of IRS Legal Investigation (IRS-CI) Atlanta Subject Office and Special Agent in Demand Tamala E. Miles of the Section of Health and Human Provider Business of the Inspector Common (HHS-OIG) Atlanta Region made the announcement.

FBI, HHS-OIG, IRS-CI and DEA investigated the case.

Assistant Chief Jillian Willis and Trial Attorney Emily Gurskis of the Felony Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Legal professional J.B. Ward of the Northern District of Alabama are prosecuting the scenario.

The Fraud Section qualified prospects the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Pressure. Considering that its inception in Oct 2018, the ARPO Strike Force, which operates in 10 districts, has billed a lot more than 90 defendants who are collectively dependable for distributing additional than 105 million products. The ARPO Strike Drive is part of the Wellness Treatment Fraud Strike Force Plan, which because March 2007 has charged far more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare method for a lot more than $19 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Expert services, performing in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector Basic for the Office of Health and Human Solutions, are having measures to maintain companies accountable for their involvement in health and fitness treatment fraud strategies. Additional information and facts can be identified at: https://www.justice.gov/legal-fraud/health and fitness-treatment-fraud-unit.