Physician, pharmacists charged for $170M fraud scheme

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A physician and two pharmacists face federal charges for an alleged $170 million fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Investigators announced a 13-count indictment alleging physician Lashodria Simpson-Camp, 45, of Allen, Texas, and her twin sister, pharmacist Shalondria Simpson, 45, of Houston, Texas, and pharmacist Shayla Bryant, 38, defrauded government agencies from 2016 to 2022.

Simpson owned and operated two pharmacies in Houston, where Bryan served as business manager. Simpson-Camp allegedly referred prescriptions to those pharmacies for illegal kickbacks and bribes, according to DOJ.

The three allegedly conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent claims to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation, which administered workers’ compensation benefits for the Federal Employee’s Compensation Act. The claims were for high reimbursing drugs that often were medically unnecessary and induced by kickbacks and bribes that Simpson, Simpson-Camp, and Bryant received, the DOJ announcement said.

Simpson and Bryant used shell entities and cash to pay physicians, Simpson-Camp, a clinic owner, a medical assistant, and other marketers, according to DOJ.

The pharmacies allegedly submitted about $170 million in fraudulent claims to the government agencies. Simpson attempted to conceal the scheme by converting proceeds to cash and transferring money among at least 10 bank accounts and a cryptocurrency wallet, while seeking help from other people to liquidate assets and conceal her ownership and control of those assets, according to DOJ.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for fraudulent health care kickbacks and 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Simpson and Bryant face additional penalties up to 10 years in prison for paying health care kickbacks. Simpson may face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to launder money and 10 years in prison for each count of money laundering, according to DOJ.

A LinkedIn profile described Simpson-Camp, also a PhD, working at Tru Essence Cosmetic and Medical Spa. Another online profile described her as a general surgeon and certified breast surgical oncologist, and owner of Tru Essence spa and Accuhealth Injury & Wellness.