Drug Salesperson Must Pay $31 Million in TRICARE Kickback Suit

A compound drug salesperson must pay the US government $31 million for participating in a scheme to defraud TRICARE, a federal health care program for military personnel and their dependents, an Alabama federal district court said.

Undisputed evidence showed that Robert Crites received kickbacks for each claim submitted to TRICARE in violation of the False Claims Act, and showed he conspired with others in the scheme, Judge Emily C. Marks of the US District Court for the Middle District of Alabama said in a Monday order.

The award is appropriate because Crites took actions that defrauded the government on ...