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Doctors, Worker Advocates Indicted in $40 Million Compounding Scheme
The court informed Cruise that he should ask the court to repeat or explain anything that he did not understand and that he could confer with his attorney at any time without asking for permission from anyone. Defendant's sentencing was continued several times so that he could continue to cooperate with the government. On December 27, 2022, the court entered an order resetting the defendant's sentencing for March 2, 2023. The operation included one additional pharmacy owner, a physician, two pharmacists, and three patient recruiters. A Houston couple was sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a $126 million fraud scheme. John Cruise, 52, of Houston, a former co-owner of Assurance Consolidated Pharmacy (ACP), a pharmacy located in Spring, Texas, as well as an owner of the Injured Federal Workers Advocate Association (IFWAA), an organization that purported to assist injured federal workers, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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Las Vegas man among nine sentenced for role in multistate fraud scheme, Justice Department says - KLAS - 8 News Now
Las Vegas man among nine sentenced for role in multistate fraud scheme, Justice Department says.
Posted: Fri, 14 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Terrance Aice, 50, of Carrollton, Texas, a patient recruiter, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison. LaShonia Johnson, 50, of Houston, a former co-owner of ACP with her husband and co-defendant Cruise, and director at IFWAA, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Four additional defendants — Dr. Jay Bender, Dr. Deepak Chavda, Donathan Kemp and Naresh Jivanji — are scheduled to be sentenced on May 25. The U.S. Department of Justice said Sherod Brown, 44, of Las Vegas, was among nine defendants sentenced Thursday for their roles in defrauding the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and TRICARE. Cruise was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, while Johnson was sentenced to 15 years.
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Cruise and his wife jointly owned both the Phil & Derek’s Restaurant and Jazz Lounge and the Assurance Consolidated Pharmacy. They allegedly participated in the scheme when they experienced struggle and had to assume new ownership. A New York man was resentenced today to nine years in prison and ordered to pay $39 million in restitution for his role in a multimillion-dollar health care kickback and tax...
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Sadly it is being reported that John has been sentenced to 20 years and his wife 15 years for fraud back in April. The fraudulent operations involved doctors in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio, and pharmacies, and federal worker advocates in Houston, federal prosecutors told the Houston Chronicle newspaper. The attorneys at Chilivis Grubman represent clients of all types and sizes in connection with False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback litigation and white collar criminal matters.
Houston power couple sentenced to federal prison in $126 million fraud scheme - Houston Public Media
Houston power couple sentenced to federal prison in $126 million fraud scheme.
Posted: Fri, 20 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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Along with three patient recruiters and others, the group submitted fraudulent claims to Tricare and the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs for prescriptions prescribed to injured federal workers and armed forces members. Defendants paid kickbacks to patient recruiters and physicians to prescribe the drugs, which were chosen based on their reimbursement amounts. Texas physician James Don Jackson, MD, and eight others including three pharmacy owners, two pharmacists and three patient recruiters, were sentenced for their roles in a $126 million compounding pharmacy fraud scheme designed to bilk workers' compensation programs and Tricare, the Justice Department said April 14.
Because the court has accepted Cruise's guilty plea, Cruise's Motion is governed by Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure ll(d)(2). Rule ll(d)(2)(B) provides that a defendant may withdraw a plea of guilty after the court accepts the plea if the defendant can show "a fair and just reason for requesting the withdrawal." Cruise, a former co-owner of Assurance Consolidated Pharmacy, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to the department. Other defendants were given shorter sentences, ranging from one to ten years in federal prison. Healthcare fraud investigations involve complex healthcare and pharmacy matters requiring legal counsel with knowledge and experience in TRICARE and healthcare law.
Department of Justice, the nine took part in a years-long multistate scheme to defraud the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs and TRICARE, the healthcare program for U.S. service members and their families. At his rearraignment the court explained to Cruise that the court was required to ask him a number of questions. The court told Cruise that it was very important that he listen carefully and provide truthful and complete answers to all of the court's questions for several reasons. The court reminded Cruise that he was under oath and, therefore, that if he gave an untrue answer he could be charged with the separate crime of perjury. The court also explained to Cruise that his answers must be truthful and complete because the court was required to make a number of findings based on Cruise's answers before it could accept his guilty plea.
He provided no credible support for his change of position, and his conclusory allegations were substantially undercut by the government's cross-examination. In light of the court's detailed admonitions to Cruise regarding the importance of answering truthfully and Cruise's admission under oath in open court that all of the facts stated in the factual basis were true, the court is not persuaded by Cruise's selfserving, last-minute assertion that he is not guilty. John Cruise and his wife, LaShonia Johnson, once jointly owned both the Phil & Derek’s Restaurant and Jazz Lounge and the Assurance Consolidated Pharmacy. The husband also owned the Injured Federal Workers Advocate Association (IFWAA). When the couple went down for running a scam through two of the businesses, the eatery, which had been a popular destination for African-Americans in the city, experienced struggle and had to assume new ownership. Sherod Johnson, 44, of Las Vegas, a patient recruiter, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison.
Those involved in the industry would be well advised to educate themselves about best practices. Prominent Houston couple John Cruise and his wife, LaShonia Johnson, were sentenced to a combined 35 years in federal prison after being convicted of fraud. Cruise filed a Motion to Substitute Counsel on November 10, 2022 (Docket Entry No. 560), which was granted on December 2, 2022 (Docket Entry No. 569). On February 2, 2023, a United States Probation Officer filed Cruise's initial Presentence Investigation Report ("PSR") (Docket Entry No. 587).
The couple, 52-year-old John Cruise and 50-year-old LaShonia Jackson, owned a Harris County pharmacy, according to the U.S. The nine defendants submitted false claims to the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs and TRICARE for prescriptions of drugs normally prescribed to injured federal workers. The defendants paid kickbacks to patient recruiters and physicians to prescribe those drugs, and chose the particular compounds and other drugs based on the amount of reimbursement for the drugs. Those drugs were then mailed to patients, despite the patients never requesting them. The defendants paid kickbacks to patient recruiters and physicians to prescribe the drugs, according to the U.S. The notable Harris County couple were a few in the scam involving 9 defendants who were sentenced for their respective roles in a scheme to defraud the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs and a healthcare program for U.S. service members and their families.
The drugs were then mailed to patients, even though the patients often never requested, wanted, or needed them. According to a news release, the defendants submitted false and fraudulent claims to the OWCP and TRICARE for prescriptions for compounded and other drugs prescribed to injured federal workers and members of the armed forces. The defendants chose the particular compounds and other drugs based not on the patients’ medical needs but in light of the amount of reimbursement for the drugs. The defendants submitted false and fraudulent claims to the OWCP and TRICARE for prescriptions for compounded and other drugs prescribed to injured federal workers and members of the armed forces. According to the press release the defendants submitted false and fraudulent claims to the OWCP and TRICARE for prescriptions for compounded and other drugs prescribed to injured federal workers and members of the armed forces. The Justice Department outlined the alleged scheme, stating, "The defendants submitted false and fraudulent claims to the OWCP and TRICARE for prescriptions for compounded and other drugs prescribed to injured federal workers and members of the armed forces.
Fans of the restaurant seem grateful that this soul food staple did not go under because its previous owners did. Cruise and Johnson were hit with the hardest sentences for their significant involvement in the scheme. Cruise received a 20-year prison term and was ordered to pay around $32 million in restitution. His wife, Johnson, was sentenced to 15 years and also required to pay $32 million in restitution, mirroring her husband’s penalty. Kenny Ozoude, James Don Jackson, Nirvana Hightower, Keith Hudson, Audra Jones, Terrance Aice and Sherod Johnson were also sentenced for their involvements in the scheme.
As far back as 2015, The Health Law Offices of Anthony C. Vitale, who specialize in healthcare law, have been writing about the feds cracking down on compounding pharmacy fraud. Cruise argues that his Motion is not unduly delayed and that allowing him to withdraw his plea will not unreasonably prejudice the government. Cruise filed his Motion more than 17 months after he pleaded guilty, and approximately two weeks before his sentencing. See Carr, 740 F.2d at 345 (describing as "not promptly filed" a motion to withdraw filed twenty-two days after the plea). Three doctors and two pharmacy operators have been indicted in connection with a compounded drug scheme that defrauded the federal workers' compensation program and Tricare out of almost $40 million, prosecutors said. Former compounding pharmacy co-owners John Cruise, LaShonia Johnson and Kenny Ozoude were sentenced to 20 years, 20 years and 15 years in prison, respectively.
Johnson, Lashonia,filed a(n)Divorce,Separation -FamilycaseagainstCruise, John Michael,in the jurisdiction of Brazoria County, TX, .Brazoria County, TXSuperior Courts461st District Court. “This is completely sad, however, folks without melanin have been doing ish like this for years! I don’t respect anyone that has to abuse someone’s healthcare but we seem to get stiffer punishments,” wrote another.
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