A couple from Tennessee has been sentenced and ordered to pay back $65 million for their involvement in the largest fraud case against the Pentagon’s Tricare health program. Jimmy and Ashley Collins were found to have orchestrated a prescription pharmacy scheme that not only defrauded the government but also implicated service members. The Justice Department’s announcement highlighted the significant restitution the couple is required to make to the Defense Health Agency and Tricare, marking a substantial effort to address the financial damages caused by their actions. From 2014 to 2015, they managed a medical clinic that exploited a network of doctors and a nurse practitioner to recruit service members and other Tricare beneficiaries into receiving unnecessary specialty medications in exchange for kickbacks. This operation led to inflated billing to Tricare, with some prescriptions costing between $10,000 and $20,000 each, showcasing the depth of the fraud and the financial exploitation of the health care program designed to support military personnel and their families.
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