It’s entirely normal for couples to argue, but Jimmy and Ashley Collins took it to a whole different level when facing an indictment of a $65 million medical fraud case. The Collins enjoyed years of happy bliss as the proud owners of medical walk-in center. In reality it was a façade for a bogus prescription center designed to steal federal funds for veteran benefits. And the Collins proved to be quick to out the other when it was discovered that their medical center was actually a hub for defrauding the military out of $65 million with bogus prescriptions for pain and scar cream. The evidence was too overwhelming and on August 1, 2023, the Collins couple both pleaded guilty to medical fraud.
In court, the Collins admitted they worked to recruit TRICARE beneficiaries who were willing to sign up to receive expensive compounded medications, even though the beneficiaries did not really need the medications. TRICARE is a health care program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System. The beneficiaries’ information gathered was sent to the Choice MD that the Collins owned. Doctors and medical professionals employed by the Collins’s wrote prescriptions for the TRICARE beneficiaries, despite never conducting a medical review or examination of the patients in person. The fraud revolved around prescribing extremely expensive and mostly unnecessary compounded medications, costing the TRICARE program an average of more than $14,500 per medication per month.
The repercussions for the Collins in this case are severe. Meaning they lose everything. Like the 82-foot yacht and numerous high-end vehicles, including two Aston Martins, which have been seized by the United States. Prosecutors are seeking to sell these confiscated assets to recover losses from the healthcare fraud.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Married Couple Pleads Guilty to $65 Million TRICARE Fraud Scheme” published by Tax Buzz on August 1, 2023
Jimmy and Ashley Collins, a married couple residing in Birchwood, have admitted that they participated in a health care fraud scheme that cost TRICARE – the health care program that covers United States military service members and their families – out of over $65 million in total.
According to an official release from the IRS, the Collins’ plea deal confirms that they were part of a network of co-conspirators who recruited existing TRICARE beneficiaries willing to sign up to be prescribed costly compounded medications, even though they didn’t really need these medicines.
