Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces today that 4 Corners Pharmacy, located in Spring Hill, Florida, has agreed to pay $800,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly billing the U.S. Department of Labor for a compound supplement that was either not ordered by a licensed healthcare provider or was never delivered to beneficiaries. The Department of Labor provides benefits authorized by the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act including compensation and payment of medical expenses to eligible claimants who were injured or became ill on the job, or to their families.
“Pharmacies are not allowed to bill federal programs for medications that are not delivered to beneficiaries or that were never ordered by their healthcare provider,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg. “This settlement reflects our determination to hold accountable those who seek to exploit our federal healthcare programs.”
“An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud involving the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) programs. We will continue to work with OWCP to protect the integrity of DOL’s workers’ compensation programs,” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought by private individuals, on behalf of the United States, under the qui tam (commonly known as “whistleblower”) provisions of the False Claims Act. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery if the government takes over the case and obtains judgment against or reaches a monetary agreement with the defendant.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General. It was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Sean Keefe.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.