ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A St. Augustine man has pleaded guilty to violating the anti-kickback statute, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida said.
Vernon Stroman, 40, was a marketer and consultant for Wellness Pharmacy in St. Augustine, according to the plea agreement. Stroman was responsible in this role for finding patients that had TRICARE insurance and could be referred to the pharmacy.
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The U.S. Attorney's Office said that beginning on Jan. 27, 2015, Stroman referred his parents to the pharmacy and provided them with prescriptions for several creams, including a "scar/post-op" cream and a "general pain/inflammation" cream.
Neither of Stroman's parents had received a physician order attesting to the medical necessity of the cream. The U.S. Attorney's Office said by submitting the prescriptions to Wellness Pharmacy, Stroman knew that the pharmacy intended to fill the prescriptions and submit claims for reimbursement.
Approximately one week after Stroman submitted the prescriptions to the pharmacy, he picked up the creams and purportedly paid the $102 in copayments, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Stroman later admitted that he never paid these copayments and instead, he received $3,000 for "consulting services."
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Stroman received $50,461.75 in total from February to May 2015.
As a result of Stroman's actions, Wellness Pharmacy submitted 18 claims for reimbursement for his parents. The U.S. Attorney's Office said TRICARE paid Wellness Pharmacy a total of $178,193.40 for these prescriptions.
Stroman faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.